Gambian Female Referee Criticized over Controversial 'Penalty Decision' in Liberia VS Senegal WAFU-A Women's Cup Soccer Clash

Nouakchott, Mauritania: Mixed reactions are pouring in among football fans over what many have termed poor officiating by Gambian female referee Fatou Ngum in the WAFU-A Women's Cup semi-final clash between Liberia and Senegal following a controversial penalty awarded to Senegal that became the final decider of the game result.

Senegal was awarded a penalty in the 69th minute after a tackle in the penalty box that saw a Liberian defender sliding to sweep away the ball right before the legs of a Senegalese forward, a decision many football fans, especially Liberians, have deemed questionable on the part of Referee Ngum.

The Senegalese capitalized on what many termed a controversial penalty to send Liberia out of the ongoing WAFU-A Women's Cup in a 1-0 semi-final win on the night of Thursday, May 29, 2025, at the Stade Cheikha Boidya Stadium in Mauritania.

The Lone Star Women's hope of getting a comeback in the game later fell short when their goal puncher, Miatta Morris, was sent off following a red card just a few minutes after conceding a goal to what seems a controversial spot kick.

With the female Lone Star being down with one person, the shortened squad felt intense pressure to get an equalizer, thereby slowing the Lone Star's pace to find the tier in the tightly competitive match.

Football followers in Liberia have taken to their social media handles to call on the Liberia Football Association (LFA) to file an official complaint to the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to review the eligibility of the penalty.

However, many have criticized center referee Fatou Ngum for the decision, terming it as "poor," and expressed frustration with the West African Football Union Zone-A for reportedly taking down the game from its official YouTube channel.

Some fans' reactions captured by K-NEWS Sports Desk on social media: Eric" Mulbah—"Controversial penalty." D Alfreda Hanso—"The" referee is a cheater. Cheating a struggling team like Liberia—fake penalty!!! Alberto Saye" Fong—"WAFU-A must act; how can you award such a penalty?" Kenan Dulley—"Tha"t's the result you people wanted, WAFU."

Reacting to the defeat, the Liberia Women's National Team Head Coach Selam Kebede said although her side got eliminated, controversies are sometimes part of what the game presents.

Coach Kebede, in the post-match press conference, noted that the competition served as a moment to build a solid national team for the future.

"Sometimes football is like this. We accept the result and move forward. A penalty was awarded against us, and we got a red card. We are using this competition as a preparation to build up our national team," she asserted.

Meanwhile, defending champions Senegal have advanced to the Grand Final of the 2025 WAFU-A Women's Cup and will face Sierra Leone on Saturday, May 31, 2025, for the championship in the host nation, Mauritania.

On the other hand, Liberia and Mali will compete in the first match of the day on Saturday to decide who takes the third-place title.