By Omari Jackson

      Amid the threat of insurgent attack on Monrovia and the government’s confession of having broken a United Nations embargo on arms purchasing, the national soccer team Lone Star, was placed on the national stage, as the Football Association and the Ministry of Youth and Sports traded accusations on the team’s recent and future 2004 CAN participation.

     As if that was not enough, head coach Kadalah Kromah threatened to abandon the team since he has not been paid for the last eight months. At the time of writing, it was still not clear if, at least, some of the money had been paid him.

      With the current LURD/AFL war strangling the nation, a legitimate excuse was hijacked and minister Max Dennis, speaking for the government, claimed that the cost of fighting the civil unrest had made it impossible for the national government to fund the Lone Star. However, what is disturbing is: at what
time did the minister realize that the current war has created a condition in which the government could not fund the Lone Star.

       This is important because the LURD/AFL war has been going on  before the start of the 2004 CAN qualifying series and it is correct to intimate that the minister was aware that more percentage of the national budget had been allocated to fight the war.

       And so, quite against the run of play, the government abandoned minister Dennis’ claims and hurriedly sent a local-based representative side to Addis Ababa to honor their encounter. Now, we all know the result of the counter, and it is a reassuring news that the team lost to a narrow margin, since the
Ethiopians themselves had been hit by financial crisis.

         Now that the team lost, in the wake of poor preparation, what next? There are home matches to be honored and therefore it is important the FA and Ministry sit down to plot their next move. It will be unfair to wait till the final weeks before trading accusations and counter accusations.

        That the narrow loss to Ethiopia was deserving is by looking at the struggle  and disappointment that the Lone Star had to endure before the government stepped in the last moment. Consider a sample of developments, as reported by the BBC Sports Online:

March 05, 2003
KADALA THREATENS TO QUIT
The head coach threatened to abandon the team because he has not been paid for eight months. The question is: how had he been expected to justify his position with such  disappointment by the government? It is a recurring situation since Liberian governments hardly demonstrate interest in financing the team and its success.

March 10, 2003
LIBERIA’S FUTURE IN DOUBT
Here again, even if the situation of the coach was solved, (which was not), training for the local team met a rock. The problem: no money. It is a wonder who makes decision for the Lone Star’s participation in CAN 2004?

March 18, 2003
TOP PLAYERS DESERT LIBERIA
The legendary star, James Salinsa Debbeh, who was visiting Monrovia at the time stated that it was now time for the technical staff to use up-coming players. As if the technical staff did not know that "others" had to be allowed to play. Even Kelvin Sebwe, a formidable midfielder, said he was unavailable. The truth is, since George Weah washed his hands off the national team, all his colleagues had also washed their hands off Lone Star. The authorities in Monrovia still have failed to accept their decision and  therefore, they are wasting their time calling on them.

March 21, 2003
LIBERIA’S PREPARATION HALTED
It was yet the national monster again: shortage of funds. 

March 23, 2003
LONE STAR IN CRISIS
The match against Ethiopia was scheduled on  30, March, and with eight days to go, the authorities were still "drinking grandpee soup," and crying: no money. A day earlier, (22 March), the government had announced that Liberia  was withdrawing from the CAN 2004 campaign. However, it was clear that the authorities were not sure of what to do. Then the FA acted as if it was unaware of the government’s decision. Minister Max Dennis became angry and he hit back.

March 25, 2003
MINISTER REFUTES FA CLAIMS
"The decision to withdraw…was not unilateral," he defended himself, and even  questioned the LFA about " a lot of money from FIFA and CAF to the LFA,"  which he said should have been  implemented. And of course, minister Dennis is aware that FA boss, Edwin Snowe, is having fun in America, under some FIFA scholarship.  In any case, the relationship between the FA and the Ministry involving the national team has always developed into confrontation and therefore it is not  strange that it is exhibiting itself. With only four days to honor the Ethiopia match, the government stepped in.

March 26, 2003
LIBERIA IN U-TURN
A surprise? No. This is because that is how Liberian governments, beside  Doe’s regime, had always acted. They would act till the last minute. So my question still stands unanswered: Can the Lone Star survive after Ethiopia?