Gebro Too Late To Call

By Julu M. Johnson, Jr.

It beats the imagination of Liberians for veteran defender George Gebro to have made a dying minute demand for inclusion on the national team despite the conclusion of the selection process.

The Lone Star is about two days away from beginning the qualifiers for the 2012 Nations Cup under the tutelage of the Hungarian Bertalan Bicskei. The Lone Star’s first match is against the Warriors of Zimbabwe at the Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Complex in Paynesville.

A member of the once famous ‘George Weah Eleven,’ Gebro landed in Monrovia from a foreign destination amidst reports that he is without a club following a late stint with Hapoel Petach Tikva in Israel.

Upon seeing him in the city, the assumption appeared that Gebro was on a private visit. But to the utmost dismay of football followers, news emerged that Gebro, once a rock in the Lone Star defense, was demanding a place on the national team ahead of such all important encounter. Matters became worse when a local newspaper displayed a photo in which Gebro stretched both hands at the national team head coach as if to mean that he wanted to get on board the train carrying the new Lone Star. Not long after, a debate surrounding the possible selection of Gebro emerged with one group saying ‘he used to play’ and others saying ‘he can still make it.’ The Gebro debate has just come following the call that Oliver Makor be included on the basis that he ‘used to play’. Whether Gebro really meant business in spite of the disappearance of his age from the calendar is left with him to say.

Meanwhile, it is the duty of the Lone Star head coach to set the stage for all players of Liberian decent to showcase their talents for possible recruitment on the national team but the current demand by Mr. Gebro is very belated. If only he was in town for the selection, then the process would not have eluded him. Had he applied timeliness, then the future would have been bright for him. After all, he is among one of few Liberians without a club .] onkey Brown, Josiah Johnson, Wanibo Toe, Jackson Weah, Sam Sumo, Benedict Wesseh and Santos Maria. These figures have come and gone. The succeeding generation had Joe Nagbe, Zizi Roberts, Oliver Makor and Louis Crayton. They have all given way obviously for Murphy Nagbe, George Baysah, Jimmy Dixon, Gizzie Dorbor and Solomon Girmes.

Instead of dodging disgrace so as to meet with respect, all Mr. Gebro can now do is to be patriotic enough and help in passing his knowledge down to the young ones.

He should be aware that he has no fish to fry for now in the current Lone Star that is ready to face the Warriors of Zinabwe.

From the county’s football record books, Liberians can only advise Gebro that it is too late to call.