Don’t Cry For Lone Star!


By Julu M. Johnson, Jr.

The Warriors of Zimbabwe taught our darling Lone Star a lesson never to be forgotten. Undoubtedly, with the 3-0 defeat inflicted on the national football team of Liberia, the journey to Equatorial Guinea and Gabon is all but ended. It is now left with Zimbabwe, Mali and Cape Verde to decide which side goes through.

President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, as Chief Patron of Sports, added some butter to the bread with a pledge of US$5,000.00 to each player as bonus, yet all efforts went in breeze. Many fans are now be shocked by another poor showing by the Lone Star amidst huge support from national government.

All these miseries are occurring on the back of the expenditure of huge cash to hire three European tacticians, German Antoine Tony Hey, Hungarian Bertalan Bicskei (the late) and Italian Roberto Landi. Failure to reap more than one victory from the trio has cast doubts over the coaching prowess of the aforementioned. Should coach Landi now be given his marching orders so another European or expatriate could be hired at the detriment of task payers’ money? Maybe the Italian should be given another chance but with certain conditions.

From an observatory view, there have been many problems along the way. For instance, whenever Liberia enters competitions such as the African Nations Cup, there should be a clear objective. Either the Lone Star is there to build a team for the future or to qualify for the finals. Such mandate should be given to the coach and that the public be made to know to avoid raising the hopes of people only to be let down eventually.

Another matter worth noting is the constant interference into team affairs on the some part of officials. It is an age old problem that football officials will always have interest in certain players to wear the national team’s jerseys. And even with a European coach, this situation has not changed. During the current qualifiers, there were moments the country decided to do away with foreign based players and focus on home grown talents after suffering heavy losses. Very sooner after the pronouncement, there was a change in plan and we now see dozens of foreign based players, which is also not a bad idea. However, failure to allow the coach to independently select his squad whether from home or abroad will give him an escape route whenever there is poor result. Thus, it behooves the LFA to allow the national team head to call his choice of players and not others doing so for him. With this done, he will definitely be held liable for any result.

Meanwhile, the players cannot be exonerated from the bad omen that befell the national team in a group that bookmakers tipped to be an open one. Now that the three points didn’t go the way of the Lone Star, players to be recalled for national team duty are challenged to do their best just as the famous ‘Weah Eleven’ did, thus qualifying for two African Nations Cup finals in South Africa and Mali. Partying, bluffing and riding around town will only be necessary after the job is done in a positive way. Anthony Laffor, Ben Teekloh, Sekou Jabateh Oliseh, Francis Grand Pa Doe and Dulee Johnson are among the many talents players the nation can boast of. They are capable of taking even us beyond the Nations Cup finals and this can happen based upon the level of patriotism they will show when called to play for the Lone Star. They should have it at the back of their minds that positive displays for the Lone Star are another means of giving them lucrative contracts with bigger clubs.

Now that the team is out of contention, it is about time to start a new beginning and not complain over what has already come and gone. The 2014 World Cup is the next adventure with Mauritius being the first task the Lone Star has to get in the group stage. By means of a formal contract, Coach Landi needs to be resident in the country in order to collaborate with his deputies in Kelvin Sebwe and Thomas Kojo.
May the fans keep cheering the Lone Star as all is not lost with the availability of a very youthful collection of players. It is everyone’s hope that the Lone Star will get to the promised land one fine day after failing on the journey to the 2012 finals. These painful defeats are simply wakeup calls. So, don’t cry for Lone Star!