'Bobo' is Disappointed!




The just ended draw of the African Women Championship in Nigeria without the participation of the national female soccer team of Liberia has caught the attention of a keen observer of the game in the country, Joe B. Mehn.

Speaking through an interpreter Thursday, the death and dumb Mehn, alias 'Bobo' said he was totally disappointed over the absence of the Liberian female team in the pending competition.

He said the performance of the under-20 team in the 2006 Women Championship qualifiers recently held in Russia, was a clear indication that Liberian females have talents, but only needed to explore them.

He noted that the female team participation in this prestigious championship could have provided the players the opportunity to prove their worth.

"If Fennecs of Algeria that was eliminated by Liberia in the qualifiers round of the just ended U-20 Women Championship in Russia is participating in the competition, than Liberia's absence was frustrating," he point out.

Bobo who served the team as a volunteer clear taker during their campaign for Russia, emphasized that if Liberia were to be on par with other African countries in the game, sports authorities here needed to attach serious importance to all the national teams irrespective of gender.

It can be recalled that during the first round of the championship in Russia, the female U-20 cruised to the next round without kicking a ball due to the withdrawal of neighboring Guinea.

They were then paired against the female Fennecs of Algeria, and surprisingly, returned home in ecstasy after defeating their opponent 3 goals to 2.

The sublimely gifted Monica Cooper; clinical finisher Christiana Myers; and the inventive Bendu Goi, were the brains behind that victory.

The team then secured a breath to the crucial stage of the competition when it was paired against the female Super Falcon of Nigeria dubbed Africa's female giants.

They held the highly rated Falcon to a 1-1 draw in their own back yard in Monrovia, but were defeated 9-1 in the return match played in Nigeria.

Bobo's concerns come at the time when the President of the Women Football Presidents Association of Liberia, Mr. Wallace G. Weiah, is expected to meet with all Presidents of Female Clubs in the country next Tuesday September 12, in the board room of the Liberia Football Association, (LFA) in Monrovia.

According to a citation sent to the eleven female clubs in the country, Mr. Weah said the pending meeting would provide the forum to discuss problems facing women football in the country in order to derive a blueprint for football authority.

Ahead of the meeting, it has been reported that Mr. Weiah is keen to form partnership with the Sports to Develop the Underprivileged, (SDU).

The African Women Championship draw was held on Monday with defending champion and host, Nigeria, paired against South Africa while Algeria was placed against Equatorial Guinea in Group A.

Cameroon, the defeated finalists in the last competition held 2004, has been placed in Group B against DR Congo and Mali.

The eight-team tournament is expected to kick off on 28 October with the final match scheduled for 11 November.

Meanwhile, the Confederation of African Football CAF is expected to decide whether Ghana or Congo would play in the group after the Congolese earlier failed to show up for the first leg encounter in Obuasi, Ghana.

The Super Falcon of Nigeria have won every edition of the competition since its inception in 1998.