MONROVIA, Montserrado – The 2018 Liberia Football Association First Division League will kick off today across two venues in Monsterrado, with four matches set to be played on the opening day of the league season. The league begins after more than a year in limbo due to a leadership crisis at the Liberia Football Association.
The new league season comes with a format different from what was previously done. The teams have been placed into two groups with the two groups winners playing for the championship at the end of the group matches.
According to the secretary general of the Liberia Football Association, Emmanuel O. Deah, this was done to hasten league play in order for the LFA to meet the deadline of submission of clubs for the CAF Champions League and the CAF Confederation Cup, which is October 15.
The league will be played among 10 clubs instead of the regular 12 after FC Fassell and the newly promoted Nimba Football Club pulled out. Neither LFA nor the clubs have officially announced reasons for the late withdrawals.
In the group two, there will be the first and second phase, which will see clubs playing eight games each, four home matches and four away matches. The league begins August 27 and will run until October 11 when the championship match will be played.
Barrack Young Controllers FC, Jubilee Football Club, Watanga Football Club, Monrovia Club Breweries FC, and Small Town Football Club were placed in Group A while defending champions LISCR FC was placed in Group B along with LPRC Oilers FC, Nimba United, Keitrace FC and newly promoted club, NPA Anchors Football Club.
The league will be opened by newly promoted NPA Anchors FC, who will host the LPRC Oilers at the Antoinette Tubman Stadium at 12:00 p.m. The Port Boys are making their return to the top flight with a crunch encounter against the Oilers that have made some big-name signings that include national team center defender, Alvin Maccornell.
The opening match will be followed by another newly promoted team, Small Town Football Club. The newcomers will go in search of their first points in the top division when they battle Monrovia Club Breweries Football at the Antoinette Tubman Stadium at 2:00 p.m.
Day one of the 2018 season will climax with two exciting games that will begin at 4:00 p.m. In Group B, league defending champions, LISCR FC will begin their title defense against Keitrace at 4:00 PM at the Antoinette Tubman Stadium while Barack Young Controllers takes on Watanga Football Club at the Blue Field in the PHP Community.
Featured photo by T. Kla Wesley Jr.
