Guinea versus Liberia
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                        Syli Nationale of Guinea

By Bruce Wiah – Liberian Soccer Beat Reporter

August 29, 2002

                It is seldom that one gets the opportunity to kill two birds with one stone. And when the chance comes, it is often squandered to the extent that both birds usually escape. The last opportunity Liberia Lone Star had to qualify for both the World Cup and the African Nations Cup was wasted.

              Today, Liberia is given another opportunity to put its football act together and qualify for the 24th African Cup of Nations and other continental competitions that kick off on September 8.
            Less than two weeks from now, the Lone Star will knock boots with one of her staunchest traditional soccer rivals, the Syli Nationale of Guinea. This unpredictable encounter is a first leg Group II match, the first in more than three years between the two teams, scheduled for 8th September at the National Stadium in Conakry,Guinea.

           Both teams have fared poorly at their respective African Cup of Nations campaigns, with the Lone Star failing on two appearances to qualify beyond the first round. Guinea’s only ANC laurel is its 1976 runners-up consolation. But the Liberian side seems to be in a buoyant mood with the second appointment of insightful coach Kadala Kromah, upon whose head the awesome mantle of rejuvenation rests.

           A connoisseur of West African football, Kadala Kromah’s coaching sojourn has stretched across the sub-region, spanning Cameroon, Ghana and Nigeria. But the latest assignment is a tough cookie: Coach Kromah will have to live above skepticisms currently being expressed about his selection, having been sacked in 2000 after being in charge of the Lone Star for only three matches.

“We’re putting in place a plan-‘ACT 22’ and we’re going to make use of  every effort to ensure that the local players prove their best,” Coach Kromah asserted recently. Not until lately when Liberia established herself as a reckoningforce in African football, Guinea had always maintained thebetter side amongst the three Mano River Union opponents.

“We’re putting in      place a plan-‘ACT 22’ and we’re going to make use of  every effort to ensure that the local players prove their best,” Liberia's New Head Coach Kadala Kroma

                 Unarguably, the present configuration of the Liberian team   cannot match its predecessor under former technical director George Weah, but Coach Kromah, nonetheless, should be able to know his side’s strength and weakness by now, to be able to go against the highly competitive Syli Nationale.

         Moreover, the absence of Zizi Roberts, a regular force of the Lone Star and the only Liberian Professional player that played at the highest club level last season in Europe-UEFA Champions League, creates uncertainty in the minds of Lone Star watchers who doubt the ability of the mainly local based players to make a significant impact against a formidable Guinea side.

        On the other hand, some argue that the September 8 encounter gives Liberia the psychological advantage over Guinea who are yet to recover from a long ban slammed by FIFA as a result of political
interferences into the management of their FA.

         But in as much as Kadala Kromah will be doing everything imaginable and extraordinary to reestablish his glory and secure a win against the red-eyed Elephant (the Sousou translation for Syli,) the Guineans too are not taking the match lightly.

           According to scouting reports from Conakry, Guinea have started assembling their European professionals. Heading the list is Abubacar Titi Camara of West Ham United of the English Premiership.

         Others include Oulare Souleymane(Stroke City 2nd Division-England), former MVP of Belgian side Gent; Pascal Feindouno (St. Lorient-France); Morlaye Souman (SC Bastia-France); Abdullah Sylla (Charleroi-Belgium); Salem Sow; Amadou Amara and Pablo Thiam.

         In any case, the Liberians maintain, the galaxy of Guinean professionals will not negatively impact their psyche. Coach Kadala Kromah who has been rigorously fine tuning his young guns, is relying heavily on the likes of Isaac Tondo, Josiah Seaton, Johnny Blidi,
Victor Konwlo, Prince Daye, Frank Seator and other wildcards of the Lone Star to place Liberia in the driver seat comes September 8.