“Liberia’s needs its best brains, to achieve its utmost in football”Joseph Nyennetu Brown-“Santos Maria”


                                  Joseph Nyennetu Brown-“Santos Maria”


By: Isaac C. Yeah

Long before the names of George Weah, James Debbah and Joe Nagbe were mentioned as semi-pros or later as professional footballer players, names like Santos Maria, Abraham Williams, Paul Broh, had seen the light in international football. And today I am sure, this generation of young footballers either know a little or have never heard any such names anywhere, just like me before now, I read a little about any of them, until I met Joseph Nyennetu Brown, also known as “Santos Maria”, Liberia’s first Semi-Professional football player for three years with ASEC Mimosa after playing for the Invincible Eleven (IE) for four years.

Like Santos who left Liberia in the early 1970s, also was Paul Broh, the great Liberian football player who played for Frankfurt Dortmond and Durosia Dortmond in Germany, where he currently resides. “Paul Broh was an excellent footballer, the guy was great and a talented player, he was even greater than me, but I was lucky and smart” Santos said.

Abraham Williams, the Mighty Barrolle player was the first Liberian footballer to play in the American Major League, playing for Cosmos Football Club along with King Pele of Brazil and South African Coach Jomo Sono.Williams actually had a brief stint with the American football club due to commitment reasons, however, history records that he was a very superb player.

Santos Maria explained that 1971, the Cuttington University College, now the Cuttington University had hired his services to assist Cuttington win the Inter-West African Universities and Colleges Tournament in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. He said he was approached by former National Patriotic Party, NPP- Chairman Cyril Allen who was then z student at CUC and he agreed with other national players. He said it was at that tournament that officials of ASEC Mimosa spotted him and approached him for a possible contract.


The 1979 Lone Star Team that captured the 6 Nations Tourney-Santos, second from left


Without even contacting officials of IE, he accepted the offer and was contracted for the initial three years, but started as a sub-player to the great Ghanaian player Opoku Nti. After just half a season, the Ivorian club agreed on selling Nti since Santos was a great and perfect replacement.

By 1974, just two years after playing in the great Ivorian league, he was sold to French Club AS Sedan. He played there for three seasons, AS Sedan was relegated to division two, but at that time he was already purchased by Paris, FC. Santos later played for AC Epinal, Racing Club, Metz FC and the French Federation Club, all in France. Santos had a one year contract with US League Team, Rochestor Lance. Santos Maria retired from playing football in 1981 and started his coaching career.

Santos returned to Liberia in 1981 after he was invited as Coach of the Lone Star by President Samuel Doe but had to abandon the coaching contract for fear of his life due to several abortive coup attempts and rumors of wars and fighting. He returned to France coached several teams including Esclae Soccer Association, Promo Sport, Planiose Soocer Team, Bensancon and the French National U-17 Team. Santos said all of the teams were at the youth level.
Between 1989-1990 Joseph Nyennetu Brown said he underwent and received several coaching certificates and diplomas at the youth and senior levels. They include; The French 1st and 2nd Level Coach Diploma, French Football Federation Middle Level Coaching Diploma, Professional Soccer Instructor Coaching Certificate and the Senior French League Certificate among others. Santos said these diplomas and certificates were under the aegis of the Federation of International Football, FIFA.

On the question of awards, Santos said he was voted the “Most Valuable Player”in the Liberia Football Association League in 1970 and “Highest Score” in 1971. He was a member of the 1979 Squad that captured the Six Nation Tournament held in Liberia “Voted the Most Talented Player” of the tournament by Confederation of African Football,CAF, who was handling the tournament. He was twice voted the “Most Valuable Player” in the Ivorian League.

When question about the status of Liberian football, Santos said, it is sad and regrettable that with a lot of experience former players and coaches that Liberia has produced, it has been inviting low profile coaches to handle the affairs of the national football team, the Lone Star, especially the foreign coaches.

Santos said, if Liberia ever dreamed of a profound football programs, it will need its best brains in coaching and football administration to handle the affairs of the National Teams and the proposed Sports Academy. He praised the idea of a Sports Academy, but questions the sincerity of that initiative when in fact; a national debate has not be held. Santos said it requires licensed technicians to run sports academies, and ask where the proposal has anyplace for the training of coaches at international levels. He said coaches need high level diplomas before attending brush up sessions, not the reverse.

He said Liberia has been having too many brush ups, when in fact, there has been to scholarships to train coaches and administrators at the highest levels in football.” Let no man be fooled, coaching is a profession, you need to go to school to know, not just mere workshops and brush ups”.

Santos question the wisdom of building the “UNIVERSITIES” before training the “Professors”, adding it will be good to train the football coaches who will run the academies before it is build, or else he sees a venture in futility.

The veteran Liberian coach wants a conference of Liberian greats, players, coaches, administrators and journalists to define concrete strategies on the acceleration of the country’s football program, like it is done in the developed world.

Blessed with three children, an Engineer, a Doctor and a Banker, Santos boasted of helping tons of Liberia football players who entered France in the early 1990s without any documentation, adding “ my house became the Liberian Embassy of Players, some of whom I have never seen or heard about before”.