The NEWS (Monrovia)
25 March 2008
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Monrovia — After signing late during the 2007 season last August by arguably America's most celebrated coach in Bruce Arena and providing significant contribution that propelled the squad to the playoffs last year, Francis Grandpa Doe was summarily released within couple of weeks of preseason training.
From the dusty soccer fields of Buduburam FC in Ghana to Soccer sanctuary of Tonnerre Kalara of Cameroon, where he played half a season and was named best foreign player, came third in total goals scored, third in votes for the best player overall and, most importantly, led his club to the prestigious Grand Finale of CAF Cup by being the MVP for Tonnere Kalara and leading them in goals scored in that tournament; to Greece where, in his first season he qualified Atromitos FC of the Greek Super League for the first time in team's history to the UEFA, by scoring the two goals in the last game of the 2006 season that propelled the team to the prestigious European tournament where he played against Spanish giants Seville FC; and finally, to New York Red Bulls where in only four starts, he averaged only 60 minutes per game (because of plantar fasciitis) and amassed two crucial goals the team desperately needed to qualify for the playoffs.
The mainstay of the Liberian National squad, the only player in the last qualifying rounds of the African Cup of Nations to score against Cameroon, was released by the New York Red Bulls.
According to the Red Bulls, "After evaluating our roster over the course of the pre-season, we feel that we have solid depth at forward and thought that it would be beneficial to part ways," Red Bulls sporting director Jeff Agoos said.
After overwhelmingly proving himself to his new team, why was he dismissed? It is still confusing. But liberiansoccer.com may have found some facts that may lend answers to the question.
Firstly, the coach that was so excited about having a player of Francis' stature because he could play the player on the left side, right side, middle or up front, Bruce Arena, is no longer with the club.
The new coach, Juan Carlos Osorio, did not give himself an opportunity to see the player in a game situation. During the team's preseason stint in LA, the player was injured for the two games. Even though, according to Francis, he played and excelled in all of the inter-squad scrimmages, scoring more goals than any other player, the new coach encouraged him to sit out the games because of his injury.
According to Francis, during his exit interview, Osario told the player that he was being released not because of his play, but because of the team's need for defenders and that Francis' higher salary could be used to obtain two defenders. However, the team has since acquired the services of two or three additional Hispanic players (forwards) from Colombia, the new coach's home country. Maybe this was a roster move to create a spot for one of the Columbians.
Still, why release one of your most electrifying attackers? Maybe the answer lies deeply in the culture of this league.
In an exclusive interview with Charles Dean and Velmer Porte of DISM, a sports management firm that manages African Players, also the managers of the player, the pair noted that the league is comprised of more than twenty percent of players of Hispanic origin. This, they observed, is mainly because of the large Hispanic population in America, many of whom are avid soccer followers. Hispanics contribute largely to the MLS's fan base so it is important and strategic for the league to have a large percentage of players with Hispanic origins in the league.
According to Charles, "The league is missing and ignoring a very potent and potential fan base in the millions of Africans who call the United States of America home. Africans share similar fervor for soccer and there is a high demand to be entertained by soccer players they, like their Hispanic counterparts, can relate to." Velmer added, "Africans looking to be entertained by soccer with an African twist look to Europe for their entertainment by subscribing to expensive, and sometimes unaffordable, cable networks that carry European games with African players they want to see."
According to DISM, the MLS is missing out on talent and an opportunity to increase their fan base by ignoring African players. They insist that the league is in a prime situation to compete with giant European clubs for African players. Arsenal, Manchester United, Barcelona, and Chelsea, for example, have scouted and continue to scout Africa for talent as is evident by their star players. If the MLS desires to emulate their counterparts in Europe, as is evident in the names of clubs, i.e. REAL Salt Lake, it will make sense for them to pursue the talent the continent has to offer.
Bringing in African talent will serve the MLS a dual purpose:
1. it will tap into an untapped fan base in the millions of Africans in America and Canada
2. it will produce its own Michael Essien, Didier Drogba, Samuel Etoo, etc. (just a few among thousands other), like their European counterparts.
According to Charles Dean, "This is certainly a winning situation for a league wanting to increase its fan base and better the quality of its players. Scouting Africa is certainly cheaper by the millions of dollars than the current method of securing high-priced players via the Designated Player Rule, where millions of dollars are paid to older players on the verge of ending their careers."
Velmer Porte added, "A little secret the MLS is unaware of is that this league is in a better position that their European counterparts as far as securing African players. Any player in Africa will want to ply his trade with the MLS in the great USA. There is a fifty percent chance that a player will choose USA over going to Europe. Scouting in South America, though cheap, is an extremely difficult circumstance for the MLS because the only players they can possibly have are those European clubs and prominent well-paying local clubs don't want. Currently, the few African players in the league are those from the college ranks and not scouted from the continent. We have tried to get two teams to visit Africa with the expressed purpose to scout particular players, but to no apparent avail."
This dialogue leads liberiansoccer.com to co-relate the release of Francis Doe and replacing him with players from South America.
Francis feels he got a bad deal from the Red Bulls. According to Francis, "I played hurt in all of the games last year. I was diagnosed with plantar fasciitis after several initial practices on artificial turf and still continued to help the club make the playoffs. During practice for the second playoff game against New England, I sustained an unrelated injury that didn't permit me to play, even though I sacrificed by taking all kinds of shots I have never taken, just to play."
The player thinks that coming to the MLS may have been a mistake for his career. Thankfully, his young age allows him time to recover from this situation. According to his management team, DISM, they have received several credible interests from England, Spain and Germany premier clubs. A couple of other MLS squads have also expressed interests. According to DISM, they want to be very careful in selecting a team for the player. They will select the best interested team. This decision will be made in early May of 2008. "Nothing to rush about", they claim.
training situation has been worked out with the Minnesota Thunder, the first team outside of Africa that Francis played for. The team is currently in preseason mode, which is great for Francis. "We have a great relationship with the Thunder and Coach Amos Mcgee. Bringing Francis to their camp for training purposes only was no problem at all. This is great preparation for what is ahead in the next couple of months for Grandpa," said Charles. Francis added, "Just thinking about the big name teams that are interested in me causes me to train extra hard. I do my personal training once a day and then I train with Coach Amos and the Thunder."
"Though the present seems bleak, without a contract, the immediate future for Grandpa is filled with realizable promises", Velmer concluded.
Certainly to be continued in the very near future ..
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