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Editorial
My Fear For The Lone Star
- Is There A Way Out With Games Being
Switched To Accra?
June 17,2003
Siebo D. Williams
Monrovia
Once again the National Football Team, the Lone Star, is said to be
returning to the Ghanaian cities of Accra and Kumasi, as its home in
the remaining matches of the ‘2004 African Nations’ Cup and Olympic
qualifiers which gets underway shortly.
The decision to do so, according to LFA Chief Scribe Yanqueh S.
Borsay, comes as a result of CAF and FIFA instructing the Liberia
Football Association (LFA) to find a safe venue since rebel war came
within five kilometers to the city center, Monrovia.
It can be recalled in 1996-1997, Liberia was forced to make Ghana her
home when fighting erupted among rebel factions, including the
National Patriotic Front of Liberia (NPFL), the Liberia Peace Council
(LPC), the United Liberation Movements of Liberia (ULIMO-K & J) of
Alhaji Kromah and Roosevelt Johnson respectively.
During that period, the country’s pride and joy, the Lone Star, had to
play her two qualifiers, the 1998 World Cup and Burkina Faso
qualifiers home games in Accra. In her first game in the World Cup
qualifiers, Lone Star lost her home match against Tunisia, 1-0, thus
setting her back. In the Burkina Faso qualifiers, the Lone Star also
lost a crucial home match against Togo in Accra, 2-1, which also
caused her a place in Burkina Faso behind Congo DR with only a goal
between them.
Many Liberians said at the time that with the caliber of players the
Lone Star paraded in those games, had the team played in Monrovia, it
would have qualified for both finals of the World and Nations’ Cups in
1998. But because Ghana, which in its actual sense was a neutral
ground, made those teams to beat the Lone Star and clinched important
points.
Unlike the April 6, 1996 Monrovia Madness when fighting was actually
in the city center, the recent rebel fighting only stopped on the
outskirts of the city. With calm speedily returning to the capital,
many Liberians had thought the Football House (LFA) would have
convinced FIFA and CAF for the matches to be rescheduled on home
grounds.
But when the LFA General Secretary was contacted recently, he said the
matter is beyond the Football House at this moment and can do nothing
to change things.
This decision is worrisome, taking into consideration the Lone Star
needs to beat Guinea at least 2-0 to move to the top of their Group in
the 2004 Nations’ Cup qualifiers. And to clinch the top spot in the
Group, the Lone Star must also pull at least a draw in Niamey to
qualify for Tunisia ‘2004.
Playing in Ghana has some advantages, but the disadvantages are many.
So in proper sense, Liberians would prefer for the Lone Star to play
Guinea in Monrovia to collect the needed three points.
The only advantage point is that some players who do not feel
comfortable coming to Liberia could fly to Ghana and join their local
colleagues to take on Guinea.
As far as the disadvantages are concerned, this is where my fear for
the Lone Star qualifying for the Tunisia ‘2004 comes into play.
Chief Scribe Yanqueh S. Borsay has said that the football house will
not be inviting foreign-based players officially since there is no
money from government to reimburse their air tickets. This means the
Lone Star will be made of 90% home-based players, with only those few
foreign-based players on vacation in Ghana featuring for the love of
their country. Mr. Borsay also said the LFA will only make game
perdiem available based on the gate-in-takes that will be generated.
My fear is that with the Lone Star expected to parade 90% home-based
players in Accra, the Guineans will have an edge. The home-based
players do not have the requisite international exposure to match that
of the Guineans, as we saw in the match in Conakry. The present
home-based players are very young and need to play on home grounds for
a number time to build them up before going out there.
If the match was being played in Monrovia, the home-based players
would have been motivated by the home crowd as was done against
Ethiopia. Majority of the home-based selected on the team will be
playing in Accra for the first time. It will take them time to get to
understand the pitch. And with international test matching lacking
already, things will be very difficult for them.
Our position on this matter is not to put fear in Liberians that the
Lone Star cannot beat Guinea in Accra. We are only exposing those
variables that tend to be storming blocks to the success of the Lone
Star, where most especially 90% of the team’s composition will be
home-based. Even with the likes of Weah, Debbah, Nagbe, and Kelvin
playing in the past, Guinea has always been a tough nut for the Lone
Star to crack.
With these hints, it leaves one to wonder whether there is a way out.
There is four days to the Guinea match. Can’t the LFA convince CAF and
FIFA for the matches to come to Monrovia since calm has returned?
Hosting the games in Accra is very expensive. There is no way that the
GFA can shoulder the game expenses on gate-in-takes alone. Who will
bear the air tickets of the home team since government has not said
anything? Remember the Ethiopia match? The LFA had to solely sponsor
it. The LFA is yet to reimburse the three foreign-based players who
played. They were only given L$5,000.00 as game perdiem, while the
local players were given L$3,000.00.
We were told that the LFA has a fall back position just in case the
government does not come out with the funds to transport the teams
(Lone Star Senior teams & Lone Star U-23) to Ghana.
Transporting a 30-man delegation to and from Ghana is capital
intensive, least to mention their lodging and feeding up to early July
when the last game against Niger will be played. Transporting the team
from Ghana to Niger is another burden.
All of these variables put fear in me for the Lone Star in her
remaining matches. Can the Lone Star make the necessary impact in the
two games, taking into consideration the tough situation it finds
itself in? This is why the relevant sports authorities must be prudent
enough in their decisions at this time. Until all stakeholders put
their acts together, I am afraid the Lone Star will not make it to the
finals of the Nations’ Cup in 2004. A hint to the wise!
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