Lone Star Coach Unhappy With ‘Pros’

By Julu M. Johnson, Jr.

  German man Antoine Tony Hey, the  head coach of the national team of Liberia, is not happy about the poor response the country's foreign based players have been giving the Lone Star since he took over.

 Speaking on Monday, April 21, 2008 at the Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Complex in Paynesville before the Lone Star left for Oman, Hey said, "I want to know if they are part of the plan because I am fed up with waiting for them."

  Following the failure of the foreign-based players to honor invitations sent them, the coach was constrained to use mainly local players in a FIFA-approved international friendly on March 26, 2008 away to Sudan, a match that Liberia won 2-0.

  The latest frustration being expressed by Hey stemmed from his unsuccessful attempts to have Francis Grandpa Doe of the United States, Alex Nimely of Manchester City and David Gbemie of Bolton Wanderers to face Oman.

  According to him, his requests were turned down by Doe and Nimely alias Adebayor, while there was no word from Gbemie.

  The Lone Star coach declared that it was not possible for the team to take part in the qualifiers with only young and inexperience players, reason for which he was demanding 100 percent commitment from the mature ones, especially those that are playing abroad.

  The German tactician, notwithstanding, has left the door opened to the players until May 1, 2008 to respond to him. "I don't mind what happened in the past, but this is a new era," he said.

  Of the 25 players the coach has asked to commit themselves to the Lone Star, only ten have responded. They include Kelvin Sebwe, Momo Blamo, Oliver Makor, Dulee Johnson, Dioh Williams, Chris Gbandi, Jimmy Dixon, Anthony Laffor and George Gebro.   

  Since the match with Oman is not approved by FIFA, so the coach decided to select Doe, Nimely and Gbemie because they are not actively involved in first team football with their respective clubs.

  However, Momo 'Wall' Blamo, Eisaiah Benson, Christian Essel, Murphy Nagbe, James Koko Lomell, Zah Krangar, Steve Mennoh and Anthony Laffor are the foreign based players that have made the 18-man squad for Oman.

  The locals are Bill Sheriff, Melvin King, Morris Donzo, Theo Weeks, Sengbe Kennedy, Collinson Acquoi, James Zortia, Stanley Parker, George Baysah and Alhassan Kromah.

  The 25-man Lone Star delegation is journeying from Accra unto Nairobi and then Dubai.

  The Oman football federation is said to have covered all of the expenses to host the national team of Liberia.

 The coach said he began preparing for the match against Oman with an initial number of 25 players before selecting his final 18.

  The Lone Star will then play Oman on Thursday, April 24, 2008 and return to Monrovia on Saturday, April 26, 2008. Thus, the friendly match with Sierra Leone has been switched to Wednesday, April 30, 2008 at the SKD Sports Complex in Monrovia.

  "The players deserve this game (against Oman) because of their performance in Sudan. We know we selected the right players."

  Hey revealed that the Lone Star would leave for Germany on May 1, 2008 and he described the training in Europe as the key to the Lone Star's preparations for the joint 2010 World and African Nations Cup qualifiers. There, he said his final 25-man squad for the qualifiers would be selected and they would include both local and foreign based players.

 The coach intends to wrap up his preparation with another friendly match with Sudan in Monrovia before the journey to South Africa and Angola begins at the end of May.

  Hey admonished everyone to get on board, stating, "It is time to bring this team forward."

  He advised that it is not time to be selfish. The coach then called on the private sector, Sports Ministry and the Liberia Football Association (LFA) to join him in the quest to take the Lone Star to the 2010 events.