Bedell Blasts Kelvin & LFA
-As Lone Star Battles Gambia Sunday


Liberia's foremost football analyst Wleh Bedell says he expects the technical crew of the Lone Star to select what he term in-form players that would culminate into a very strong squad for the Lone Star of Liberia in their Sunday's match against the visiting Scorpions of the Gambia this Sunday at the Samuel Kanyon Doe (SKD) Sports Stadium in Paynesville.

The football consultant noted that while the match is an international friendly, the momentum must continue as far as the Lone Star recent strides are concerned especially at a time when the country has leap frogged for the first time in many years in the FIFA rankings.

In a communication to various news outlets Bedell noted "I think there is a need to attach much seriousness to the duel on Sunday and the Liberia Football Association and caretaker coach, Kelvin Sebwe must attach seriousness to the match.

Players selected for the contest must be psychologically, physically and tactically prepared, and the technical crew must put discipline, desire and current form above any other thing. . The selection must not be based on patronage, biasness and friendship as such would impede or defeat the purpose for which the match was organized.

There is a need to in fact invite to training players who are attached to clubs and players must be called based on what they are doing currently in terms of the style and current pedigree order that what they used to do or did before. The national team should not be taken as a welfare organization, charity group or a means to make someone or a group of individuals hiding behind experience to jump into the team as a means of what they think would resurrect or resuscitate their career.

While such match is not on a FIFA date for international friendly which is an indication that the oversea based players will not be coming as there will be no way for them to be released by their respective clubs, the technical crew must be able to invite the rest of the players currently on holiday from Asia including Zah Rahan Krangar, John Tarkpoh Sonkailey, James Koko Lomell, etc where they would blend with some of the local stars who are currently on top of their game. There is a serious need for these players to take advantage of such opportunity to go for training, and must be humble, committed and forget whatsoever happened in the past.

That they were not sent for or dropped in the past must not be seen as a ploy to degrade or ostracize them, but a means to give others the opportunity to play as well, and now that they are around, they must take advantage of such an opportunity and see this as a challenge.

The match on Sunday could afford the team's handlers to select some players for future friendly matches especially the August 10 would be match which is a FIFA friendly date and then the main one, the crunch fixture away to the Warriors of Zimbabwe on the first weekend of September.

The players to be selected after the Gambia match could blend with most of the stars or first team players that would be invited for the weighty Zimbabwe melee.

With the unattached Joe Nagbe already doing great by coming back to the international scene where he marshaled the defense against Cape Verde on June 5 in the Lone Star 1-0 win, Joe should be seen as a player-Coach and his coming to the team should not be seen as a means of creating a flood gate where a plethora of ex-internationals who have since been unattached to be selected for the Sunday's match at the expense of young, enterprising, hungry and promising players whose time it is now to showcase their talents and prove their worth in the red, white and blue outfit.

To say that the likes of Prince Daye, Dionysius Sebwe, Jonah Sarwiah etc. will form part of the squad for Sunday's match is a joke, and is something that should not be taken seriously.

Finally, I wish the Lone Star well, and I do ardently hope that the handlers would ensure the rightful selection void of sentiment, and build on the recent achievement made by the Lone Star. Let me use this medium to call on everyone irrespective or tribe, creed or whatsoever to turn out in their numbers to cheer the Lone Star to victory, veteran Bedell, widely known as Jean noted from Lofa County where he is currently for the Liberia’s Independence.