IE in “Partnership Deal” with Wydad Casablanca
-Despite Suffering 6-1 Aggregate


            IE President Dr. Richard V. Tolbert

By Leroy M. Sonpon, III
leroysonpon@yahoo.com
(231-886585875)

Liberia’s darling club, Invincible Eleven (IE), has entered into a “mutual institutional partnership deal” with Wydad Casablanca of Morocco, in spite of her 6-1 aggregate lost, the President of IE, Dr. Richard V. Tolbert disclosed.

The IE boss told reporters in Monrovia today that the Saturday’s 4-1 game which IE bowed to the Moroccan giant is a lost-win situation, owing to lot of disadvantages the yellow boys experienced.

He said the cold weather, slipperiness of the field and the Moroccan-home-advantage are some of the drawbacks the team endured in Morocco.

The beaming IE boss said owing to the team’s professional field of play and discipline coupled with the warmth hospitable they (IE) showered the Moroccan side when they came in Liberia, the management of Wydad Casablanca had extended an institutional partnership deal with IE.

Dr. Tolbert divulged that Wydad has extended an invite to IE to participate in their Annual Competition in July.

“We are confident in the long run, our players and technical staff will go to Morocco and their players in Liberia. A 25-man delegation has been invited to partake in the Wydad Annual Competition in July and we hope things will go good to better,” Dr. Tolbert said.

For his part, Acting Vice President for Operations of IE, Kekura Kamara told reporters that the Moroccan top side gave IE 22 pair of boots, jerseys and training kits, as well as “CDs with instructional materials” to their technical team as well as their goal keeper.

He said the CDs were from the Wydad Casablanca Football Academy which trains about 3,000 kids.

He said they are hopeful of a “true institutional partnership” between the two clubs for the good of the game.

IE bowed to the North African side (Wydad Casablanca) 6-1 on aggregate, in CAF Cup Preliminary Round.

On Saturday, IE went down 4 goals to 1 against Wydad Casablanca in Morocco in the 2nd leg of CAF Preliminary Round. In the first leg, IE lost at home in Monrovia to the North African side 2 goals to 0, (Aggregate 6-1).