Dussuyer

By M.V. Paasewe – In Monrovia
Sunday September 8, 2002

      Latest reports filtering from Guinea speak of a dreary 3-0 spanking for Liberia Lone Star.

       The Guinea win is good omen and a record for new coach Frenchman Michel Dussuyer. Syli Nationale is Dussuyer’s first coaching job, as opposed to his Liberian counterpart Kadala Kromah who is rejoining the Lone Star for the second time as head coach.

       The Liberians left for Guinea Saturday to honor their Group II African Nations Cup tie against Syli Nationale in a state of uncertainty.

       The fact that local football authorities failed to accord the match media coverage also caused serious apprehension for home fans, many of who are still in doubt about its outcome. Besides a private cameraman and a public relations officer of the local FA, no journalist officially traveled with the team.

      Before leaving town, newly appointed coach had pessimistically told Liberians: “Do not expect too much too soon”. Coach Kadala’s reservation was in apparent reference to the haphazard preparation the restructured team had undergone one week before its crucial Nations Cup berth.

    With the bulk of the new team comprising local talents and a sprinkling of professionals, many had expected Liberia to lose. “But 3-0 is just too unbelievable,” says Edwin Hassan, a die-hard Lone Star supporter.

    Although there are arguments in some quarters that poor preparation and the “no-money syndrome” might have served as hurdles to Liberia securing a win in Conakry, many are blaming the loss squarely on Coach Kromah’s failure to recall experienced professionals like Kelvin Sebwe, James Debbah, John Menyongai, J.B. Seton, among others.

     To make matters worse, some professional players, including Zizi Roberts, Oliver Makor and Fallah Johnson who had been recalled by the Liberia Football Association (LFA), all declined their invitations.

    “Guinea will surely beat us,” was the prophetic response of a Lone Star fan that said he did not trust the caliber of players in the new team. “I saw them practicing; the local players are sluggish and the professionals are not up to standard,” the fan told journalists Friday at the Antoinette Tubman Stadium in Monrovia on the last day of training for the national team before the Guinea match.

     In any case, many football pundits are of the view that despite the Guinea defeat, Lone Star should continue vigorous training and engage tough continental sides in test matches.

      Moreover, the John Smythe-led Lone Star mobilization campaign team, many say, must get back on its feet and rally financial support for the team as was done in the past, during the tenure of the late Liberian sports minister Francois Massaquoi