Bad News For
Liberia Lone Star
Anthony Langford ( 15) and Isaac Tondo
(10)
By Julu M. Johnson, Jr.
An eighteen-man squad has been unveiled by Liberia for the weekend
clash with Senegal in Dakar.
The two sides are meeting in the sixth round of African qualifiers of
the joint 2006 World Cup and African Cup of Nations in Group One.
Many expected Liberia to put a strong fight against Senegal, but
following the training session on Tuesday at the SKD Sports Complex in
Paynesville, caretaker coach Joseph Sion alias Kofi Bruce named a
squad dominated by locally based players.
At least three Ghanaian based players have made the squad with two
already in Monrovia. They are Francis Grandpa Doe, Anthony Langford
and Bob Zeo.
The rest of the team includes Goalkeepers Lartee Jackson and Melvin
King. The Defenders called are Varmah Kpoto, Shelton Barlee, George
Weah, Solomon Wesseh and Sackie Doe.
The Lone Star midfield men selected are James Koko Lommel, Abu Sando,
Isaac Pupo, Solomon Grimes and Aloysius Pennie. The attack would be
made up of Isaac Tondo and George Miller.
The selection of such team was prompted by the refusal of government
to prioritize the inclusion of foreign-based players, citing lack of
money.
The likes of Kelvin Sebwe, Oliver Makor, George Gebro, Dioh Williams,
Jimmy Dixon, Anthony Ballah and John Menyongar were called by the
Liberia Football Association (LFA) in order to avoid a disaster for
the country, having seen the country lost 3-0 against Senegal's Lions
of
Teranga in Monrovia.
The exclusion of the foreign-based players has given frowned faces to
local fans, but the government insists that it doesn't have the money
to shoulder the coming of overseas-based players.
The Liberian national team delegation, to be headed by LFA Executive
Committee Member Abayomie Caulcrick, will now leave the Liberian
capital on Thursday, March 24.
Liberia lies second from bottom in the six-team table and needed the
players and match so dearly to have any hope of reaching at least the
Nations Cup finals in Egypt next year.
But the latest move would mean that the country is only playing to
avoid being fined and complete the remaining matches.
The Lone Star of Liberia has won one match against Mali, drew with
Togo and lost to Congo Brazzaville, Zambia and lately Senegal.
Liberia nearly reached the World Cup finals in 2002, finishing one
point below eventual finalist Nigeria, but she managed to play her
last Nations Cup in Mali the same year.
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