LISCR FC claims to be ‘unstoppable’ in CAF Champions League




Written by By Leroy M. Sonpon, III 
 
Liberia’s current football giant, LISCR FC, has vowed to ably represent its country in the 2012 Confederation of African Federation Champions League (CAF), which will kick off Friday, February 17, and end Sunday, November 11.


Members of the sensational Liberian football club, which is in its fifth week of concentrated practice, claimed they would be “unstoppable” in the league, which will bring to the fore 51 club teams from 40 associations and countries.

The proprietor and president of LISRC FC, Mustapha Raji, told the Daily Observer in an exclusive interview yesterday that his “faith” is based on the caliber of the team’s players.

The LISCR FC boss also expressed his confidence in the team’s coaching staff, led by two of Liberia’s most decorated coaches, Frank Jericho Nagbe, Sr., and Viva George.



“We are hopeful of ably representing Liberia in the CAF Champions League… the players will be comprised of about three nationalities: Liberia, Benin and Guinea…and we are confident in our technical team headed by an internationally known coach Frank Jericho Nagbe and assisted by another good coach, Viva George,” Mr. Raji said.



According to CAF’s schedule, LISCR FC will host Ghana’s Berekum Chelsea between February 17 and 19 on the first leg, while the second leg will be played in Accra, Ghana, between March 2 and 4.

Berekum Chelsea FC is the champion of the Ghana Premier League and is based in Berekum, Ghana.

The technical team of the top Ghana football club is headed by a Dutchman, Coach Hans Van Der Plum, and assisted by a Ghanaian, Yusuf Abubakar.

Some of the Liberian dependable players who are expected to uphold the flag in the continental club championship league are Trokon Zeon, Gizzie Williams, Joshua Morris, Martin Karnue, Marcus McCauley and Sunny Seah.

“Besides the good performance of the technical team, one of the techniques we used to encourage the players to clinch the championship is the ‘Win’s Bonus.’ And we hope to triple it in the CAF Championship League to be unstoppable,” Mr. Raji opined.

The 2012 CAF Champions League will be the 48th edition of Africa's premier club football tournament organized by the Confederation of African Football (CAF), and the 16th edition under the current CAF Champions League format. The winner will participate in the 2012 FIFA Club World Cup, and play in the 2013 CAF Super Cup.

The Origin of LISCR FC

LISCR FC, which was previously known as Barcelona FC, was founded in August 1995 and singlehandedly sponsored by Mustapha Raji. During the 1995-96 Liberia Football Association (LFA) league, Barcelona emerged as champion for the third division league but was denied playing in the play-off owing to “a loss of protest.”

In the 1996-97 LFA League, Barcelona FC with the like of Murphy Nagbe, George Weah, Daniel ‘Biggie’ Cooper and others, won the third division championship, topped the playoff and was promoted to the second division.

The following league season, Barcelona FC again emerged as the second division champion and became one of the top-flight outfits.

In 2000, Barcelona FC was officially changed to Liberia Ship Corporate Registry (LISCR) Football Club.

Four years later, LISCR FC won the Knock-out Championship twice as well as the Super Cup. The team is currently the champion of the Liberia Premier League and the winner of the Golden Image Award Special Tournament.

LISCR FC currently has two feeder teams: Gardnersville FC (commonly known as U-23 LISCR FC), which was recently promoted to the first division after topping the second division; and the Barnersville Young Controllers, which is to be renamed Gardnersville United (it is also known as U-14 LISCR FC).

Mustapha Raji



It can be recalled that the Daily Observer Sports Desk has previously praised Musatapha Raj for passionately and sacrificially supporting the game.

Mr. Raji, is the owner and sponsor of LISCR FC and Gardnersville FC, champions of the premier and second divisions in the LFA 2010/2011 League.

During his heyday as an executive member of the LFA, Mr. Raji developed the zeal to change the course of the sad state of football in Liberia, and it led to his expulsion from the LFA’s executive committee. His quest to change the leader known as the “killer of Liberia football—Cllr. Izetta Wesley” was realized in March 2010, with the election of Musa Bility.

Since 2009, the LISCR boss has built the “human Capacity” of more than 15 Liberian players by sending them out of the country to play professional and semi-professional football. Some include Anthony Laffor, George Baysah, Patrick Wleh, Henry Gobah, Gizzi Dorbor and the late Patrick Doeplah.

A passionate football bureaucrat, Mr. Raji has spent over L$1 million in rendering assistance to sub-committees’ leagues and teams.

In 2007, the LISCR boss registered all the teams in the New Kru Town Sub-Committee Champion and Playoff leagues. The following year, he extended his kindness to the Logan Town Sub-Committee Champion and Playoff Leagues as well as in the Sinkor Sub-Committee Champion and Play-off Leagues and West Point Sub-Committee Champion and Playoff leagues in 2009 and 2010.

He can be hailed for his assistance to clubs from the premier, first, second and third division. His four satellite teams, to which he has given financial assistance, are 12-House FC, Duport Road FC, Junior LISCR FC-Logan Town and Junior LISCR FC-West Point.

“We have bought 10 acres of land around the City of Marshall to build the LISCR Football Academy. We pray to have a groundbreaking ceremony after concluding consultation with partners in Europe and the Americas,” the LISCR boss averred.

Mr. Raji, among over 70 stakeholders, is known as the “Walking Statute of LFA.”