As Kelvin, Others Seize Lone Star Jersey

The African Continent went full blast over the weekend as teams on the content tussled for a place at the World Cup and Nations Cup in 2006.

The Lone Star of Liberia was in the roll call as well. And as expected, the crest fallen Liberian National Side was hammered by their more illustrious Senegalese opponent 6-1 in a virtually one sided contest in Dakar.

Under the tutelage of the lowly rated tactician Joseph Sayon alias Kofi Bruce, the Lone Star with a predominantly home based squad left for Dakar a day to the match for the huge task of engaging the star studded Lion Taranga of Senegal. But, few hours to the duel it was reported that things went haywire on the Lone Star camp as professional players who were invited by the FA threatened to seize the team's Jersey in demand of the reimbursement of their flight tickets that were not made available by sporting authorities.

Earlier, the National team with only the head coach Kofi Bruce and no deputy requested for ten foreign based players to augment his struggling team against the deadly Senegalese side; but the National Government, through the Ministry of Youth and Sports, made it emphatically clear that there was no money to foot the expenses of foreign players traveling for the weighty task against the Group-2 leaders. However, the likes of Kelvin Sebwe, George Gebro and Olver Markor, all based in Greece, and the pin-sized John Manyongar, based in the United States of America, claimed they were not informed about the pronouncement made by the Ministry.

But, thanks to the Liberian community in Senegal who played a pivotal role in making the players to abort such an eyebrow raising decision.

For the match itself, the Lone Star despite parading six foreign based players looked disjointed as the Senegalese made light weather of them.

They looked ordinary in their 4-4-2 formation as the back-four of Sackey Doe, George Gebro, Shelton Barlee and varmah Kpoto looked suspicious.

The midfield quarter of Patrick Gwarun, Anthony Lanford, John Menyongar and Kelvin Sebwe were over run and the front two of two dread lock players, Bob Zeo and Oliver Markor looked sterile.

With the latter playing a little deep behind the former, a position which involves a lot of talking point as Markor was misplaced, he certainly featured in an unusual position. Therefore, he did not contribute much. He is a very resourceful midfielder who could have tightened the engine room and allowed Kelvin Sebwe to play a little deep behind the unconvincing Bob Zeo who was surprisingly preferred to Isaac Tondo the eventual goal scorer.

After erratic goalkeeping from goalkeeper Lartee Jackson, the Bolton Wanderers mazy runner Khalilou Fadiga opened the floodgate through a beautifully orchestrated free kick. Couple of minutes later, Bolton Wanderers pugnacious midfielder cum striker El-Hadji Diouf increased the tally from a spot kick after the gangling Mamadou Niang was impeded by LPRC Oilers defender Shelton Barlee thus ending the first 2-0 in the host favor.

After the interval, Doiuf made it 3-0 after out pacing Varmah Kpoto. The Newcastle combative midfielder Amdy Faye made it 4-0 from a Doiuf set piece. Then the nimble footed Southampton striker Henri Camara out ran the entire Lone Star defense to put the tally at 5-0. And with less than 19-minutes left to go, substitute Dosimi Camara put the final nail on the Lone Star coffin with sixth goals of the evening in front of 60,000 spectators in Dakar.

Substitute Isaac Tondo coming in for the gold field reserve player Anthony Lanford scored the Lone Star consolation after he dislodged three Senegalese defenders.

Coach Kofi Bruce introduces the morocco based striker Sekou Keita into the frey, but his presence had no bearing. Therefore, the Lone Star sank without trace in the lions den. Surprisingly, the teenage craft man James Koko Lomell and the sublimely gifted Abu Sando was left out by Kofi Bruce.

In all fairness, the Lone Star build-up to the crunch fixture was unsatisfactory.

As the old syndrome of "no money" continued, the team played low profile test matches and the tactical training under achieved manager Kofi Bruce did not conform to contemporary football.

The Coach too looked indecisive as his decision or tactical know-how of the game was highly questionable.

John Menyongar made no impact in the match. But surprisingly he played the full ninety minutes. There was low qualified supply of passes upfront. And, why Oliver Markor operated as a striker and not a midfielder is still a question yet to be answered. And so, with the lackadaisical manner in which the game is being run in the country, the defeat of Lone Star was no surprise.