Lone Star Set For Freetown Adventure
By Julu M. Johnson, Jr.
The Liberia national team, the Lone Star have selected twenty-two
locally based players for a four-team tournament in Freetown.
The players named comprise 14 players who were part of the Lone Star
squad that went down 4-1 to the Eagles of Mali at the Amary Daou
stadium in Segou last Saturday.
They include Rufus Salue, Saylee Swen, Prince Garwo, George Miller,
Aloysius Pennie, Melvin King and Patrick Nuku Granue. Others are
Gizzie Dorbor, Varmah Kpoto, Shelton Barlee, Sackie Doe, Abu Sando,
James Koko Lommel and Bill Paytoe.
The players who did not travel to Mali but have been selected are
Pascal Karblee, Isaac Tondo, Sengbeh Wesseh, Solomon Grimes, Solomon
Wesseh, Isaac Pupo, George Weah and Kalifa Kromah.
The only three foreign-based players, Arcadia Martin Toe, Geoffrey
Miller and Sekou Keita that were on the squad in Mali, have not been
selected.
Our reporter was informed that the Lone Star technical staff have
decided to leave out the foreign-based trio in order to give their
local colleagues more exposure as the country has now decided to rely
on a home-based team.
The Minister of Youth and Sports, Counsellor Wheatonia-Dixon Barnes,
has backed the idea. She said there is a need to build a homegrown
team.
In Freetown, Liberia is expected to be involved in a tournament that
will involve the host Sierra Leone, Guinea and The Gambia this coming
weekend.
The President of the Sierra Leone Football Association (SLFA) Nahim
Kadi is the brain behind the peace tournament among Guinea, Gambia,
Sierra Leone and Liberia all from within the West African sub region.
He said the tournament would kick off on June 10 between The Gambia
and Guinea at the National stadium of Freetown to be followed by
Sierra Leone and Liberia in subsequent encounters.
"Since peace returned to this country there has never been a
football math organized to consolidate it," he said adding that this
could be another way of training Leone Stars in readiness ahead of the
2006 Nations Cup.
He said they have budgeted Le 58 million to host the competition. He
said they have already raised Le14 million from just five sources with
about 94 more yet to be implored. "This means we might even raise more
than what was budgeted for," he anticipated adding that the nucleus of
the Sierra Leonean side would be home based.
He said proceeds of the tournament would be used to train the
national team and helping them get the required preparations it take
to get to the nations cup tournament.
"We want to at least give a year long training session with our team
before we go for the tournament," he maintained.
The Lone Star delegation is expected to depart the country on Friday
and to return next week.
The Lone Star landed in Monrovia on Tuesday on a chartered flight
from Bamako.
In less than two weeks' time, the Liberian national team will face
the Red Devils of Congo Brazzaville in the eighth round of matches in
the joint 2006 World and African Nations Cup qualifiers.
Liberia now lies at the bottom of Group One with four points after
seven matches. |
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