The Inquirer
Monrovia, Liberia

Distributed by

The Perspective
Atlanta, Georgia

Posted July 1, 2004

LIBERIA’S PRIDE AND joy, Lone Star is expected to lock horns with the Hawks of Togo this Sunday at the Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Complex in Paynesville. Sunday’s encounter with Togo is in fulfilment of a third round fixture in the Group I 2006 joint World Cup and African Cup of Nations qualifiers.

LIBERIA’S LONE STAR began the campaign for the 2006 World Cup and African Cup qualifiers with a surprise 1-0 pinning of Mali’s Les Aigles. In spite of the enthusiasm which characterized that victory, Lone Star put up a dismal performance two weeks later in Brazzaville losing 3-0 to the Red Devils of Congo. The defeat dropped Liberia to the fifth place in the six-team grouping. Liberia is drawn in Group I alongside Senegal, Togo, Mali, Congo and Zambia.

AS SPORTS IS a worldwide unifier, thousands of Liberians no matter their ethnic, cultural, religious and factional background, will throng the Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Complex in support of the national soccer flag-bearers. The fans will undoubtedly turn out not only to see the two teams play but to also wholeheartedly cheer the nations pride and joy, Lone Star.

IN ALL FAIRNESS, a win is a must come Sunday for Lone Star. Lest sports authorities and the technical staff forget, Liberia must win all of her home games to be sure of a place in the finals of the African Cup of Nations slated for Cairo, Egypt. According to the regulations of the qualifiers, the top three teams in each will cruise through to the finals, while the top team automatically qualifies for the finals of the World Cup dubbed “Germany 2006.”

A WIN FOR Liberia this Sunday will take her into the top three of the group. Apart, it will also raise the Lone Star’s spirit for her pending games against the likes of Senegal and Zambia to end the first round of the contest.

AS A MEANS of ensuring that Liberia wins come Sunday, we want to call on the Liberia Football Association, the Ministry of Youth and Sports and the Lone Star Mobilization Committee to pull the necessary strings for such a dream to become a reality. This call is necessary as there have been recent reports that the National Transitional Government of Liberia has been averse in making available the needed resources to bring in several of the nation’s leading overseas-based players.