In The Name Of ‘Bilitifying’ Lone Star



By Julu M. Johnson, Jr.

One reason why football stakeholders elected petroleum dealer Musa Bility for the presidency of the Liberia Football Association (LFA) was a result of his sweet tongue promise to transform the national football team, Lone Star, into a winning outfit. As we stand, it is business as usual despite mouthwatering assurances that there was going to be a better national football team of Liberia.

Nowadays Liberians hardly get the results they yearn for. Classical examples are the immediate past goalless draw with Angola and 3-1 loss to Senegal. Probably, LFA President Bility is happy about such misery after allowing Technical Director Henry Browne to handpick his buddy Kaetu Smith for such difficult adventure. Worse of all, huge funds that could have ably propelled the Lone Star were dashed in the mud as 78 persons made the trip to Senegal.

The Bility leadership has been successful in putting into place an indefinite agenda as far as the participation of the national team in international competitions is concerned. Today, Liberians will be told by the Bility brigade that the Lone Star is competing to qualify. Tomorrow, the story will change with news that the team is in a rebuilding process. This state of confusion is among many causes why the nation cannot get the results being demanded. As long as the inconsistent modus operandi cannot get a new twist, the country will continue to suffer the wrath of ‘Bilitifying’ Lone Star, taking into account these faulty results. No one is calling for the LFA boss to be removed for this, because it is only left with stakeholders to do so when their shoes start to pinch them.

Francis Grandpa Doe did his best with an opening goal, while goalkeeper Nathaniel Sherman saved Papis Demba Cisse’s penalty against Senegal’s Lions of Teranga in the 2014 World Cup qualifiers. Yet, instead of holding on or adding more goals, all the national team could achieve was to concede three goals at the blast of the final whistle.

Now having one point after two games, the forthcoming mission is to eliminate Namibia so as to reach the Nations Cup group stage. The Southern African nation will be in search of a 2-0 victory to progress to the next round. On the way to the 2013 Nations Cup qualifying return leg against Namibia, the Lone Star managed to grab a 1-0 win at the Antoinette Tubman Stadium (ATS) in Monrovia. It remains to be seen whether the Lone Star is in the right shape to offer any resistance for the Brave Warriors.

The famous ‘Weah Eleven’ is no more but the memories of the few good men live on. The generation of George Weah, James Debbah, Joe Nagbe, Pewu Bestman, Jonathan Sogbie, Christopher Wreh, Kelvin Sebwe and Zizi Roberts became the talk of Africa, if not the world, by reaching two Nations Cup finals and as well as causing heartbreak for the mighty Pharaohs of Egypt and Super Eagles of Nigeria by almost grabbing a berth at the 1990 and 2002 World Cup finals in Italy and Korea and Japan respectively. From the initial stage of the team’s performance, motivation was spearheaded by the late President Samuel Kanyon Doe. His death and the war that followed saw the Lone Star depending on the commitment of Weah and co to move mountains. Goodness had it that they were attached to some of Europe’s big clubs.

Another secret behind the success of the famous ‘Weah Eleven’ was the commitment of the players. There were also moments of Weah playing the yeoman role by serving as coach, financier and inspirer.

At present, there is huge government support through a national budget and good salaries for coaches. Unfortunately for the current Lone Star, the presence of the necessary impetus for wonderful results cannot turn sorrow to glory.

The sorrowful state of the Lone Star for the past few years was among the barrage of criticisms Cllr. Izetta Wesley suffered ahead of the 2010 elections of the LFA. Mr. Bility capitalized on the poor showing of the Lone Star and got the overwhelming mandate to turn things around. He promised, upon his ascendancy, to ensure that the Lone Star would qualify for major international competitions.

It is said that the beauty of a Christmas is determined by the look of the eve. Hence, optimism were rife that the Lone Star was heading somewhere when the Bility leadership placed the responsibilities on a certain Bishop John Allen Klayee to head a vetting process, leading to the appointment of Bertalan Bicskei of Hungarian ahead of other potential tacticians and applicants from around the world. In agreeing terms with the coach, it cost a third world country like Liberia US$15,000.00 for a monthly salary and other benefits to formally hire Mr. Bicskei for the job, previously occupied by another European, Antoine Tony Hey of Germany. Bicskei left through illness and later died in his native land. Italian man Roberto Landi took charge but the highly promised transformation of the Lone Star was still far from reality.

Amidst the countless misfortunes, it appears that the Lone Star is not a team to place your hopes on under the Bility regime. It will be foolhardy for one to blame the team’s poor form on the lack of Liberians playing for the likes of Real Madrid, Juventus, Arsenal, Marseille and Bayern Munich. Reality has it that the Lone Star squad that defeated Ghana Black Stars and Egypt’s Pharaohs only had George Weah playing for AS Monaco, while James Debbah and Joe Nagbe were at Union Douala in Cameroon. The rest of the players were playing at home.

Gone are the days of the no money syndrome. With this past problem now solved, it behooves Mr. Bility to do more for the team the citizens cherish so much. Instead of shifting blames and finding excuses, the national team should quickly begin to turn into a wining team. This is no laughing matter. The fans cannot wait any longer in the name of ‘Bilitfying’ Lone Star.