Monrovia – Young Liberian born forward Mohammed Kamara has requested insurance from the Liberia Football Association or the government before playing for the Lone Star of Liberia.
The forward who now plays for Turkish topflight side Hatayspor told veteran Sports reporter Wleh Bedell that he is still open to playing for Liberia though he is eligible to play for Guinea and the USA.
Kamara, who during his time in Liberia, played for the then first division side Fassell FC can operate on both wings and as a point striker has improved over the years since departing Liberia for greener pasture and has been tipped as a great addition to the current Lone Star team. The youngster, however, feels it should not be business as usual coming to play for the national team.
In a Facebook live podcast with Liberian Journalist Wleh Bedell, Kamara playing for Liberia is a 50-50 chance pointing out insurance as key to his acceptance to dooming the red, white and blue jersey.
“Playing for your national team is good, everyone wants to see you, play for your national team, especially when you’re playing good football, they’ll come calling, but there’s an issue, this is not only about playing but what is your insurance? When you come to play and get injured, you end up, treating yourself and at times you loss your contract. There’s nothing to depend on,” Kamara said.
According to the promising talent, he was in Liberia during his early days of his career and saw several players who played for the national team and got injured and at the end of the day their career die,
“They declined because of the injury. I don’t want to end up like that, all I ask for at least a national insurance which will guarantee me playing for my country, just in case I got hurt, while wearing the national color, there must be something, I can depend on,” Kamara told Wleh Bedell.
Keka as his affectionately called in Liberia and around the world said there have been no approach from the LFA to have him represent Liberia.
“Realistically speaking there hasn’t been any one proposal from anyone at the Liberia Football Association, I mean no one has contacted me,” he said.
He disclosed that head coach James Peter Butler is the only person who has been in touch with him about how he plays and his game, “but there’s nothing we talk about playing for Liberia”, Kamara said.
Mohammed has played 13 matches for Hatayspor scoring one time and providing two assists since joining.
The issue of players welfare is an old age problem with the national team and local team in Liberia.
It can be recalled that several Liberians players got injured in national team duty and lost contracts and even ended the career with no benefit from the past administrations at the LFA and government.
Former Manchester City forward Alex Nimely at a news conference in 2010 after rejecting a call up to play for Liberian in favor of England said it is the desire of every player to play for their country of birth bus said the players need to be insured when they come play for the country.
“Like I said before it is the desire of every player to play for his country, but authorities of the country’s football must be serious.
“Take for example the first time Liberia sent for me to play they told me to buy my ticket and come so I could be reimbursed. My team (Manchester City) told me that Liberia was joking in such a manner. I think this new dispensation of Liberian football must mark off this ugly act and move forward.
“Another crucial issue has to do with the issue of insurance. Every player of a country must be insured. “Look at what happened to Murphy Nagbe while on national duty for Lone Star,” the Nimely noted.
Nathaniel Sherman in 2015 got injured on national team duty and since then his career came to an end due to the eye injury.
Murphy Nagbe, a tough defended of Liberia, leg got broken while playing for Liberian against Senegal and found it difficult to get back on the pitch and is now a retired footballer based in the USA.
Also, in 2011 Liberian International versatile Patrick Doeplah was found dead after arriving to help the country in the 2012 Olympic games qualifier.
The striker died following a cardiac arrest. Doeplah who arrived in Monrovia on a Monday night, died early Tuesday morning at the John F. Kennedy (JFK) Memorial Hospital in Monrovia.
The 20-year-old was playing for Hapoel Kfar Saba in Israel, he was allowed to visit his family on Monday night, before returning to the camp ahead of the clash with Cote d’Ivoire in Ghana.
After failing to wake for Tuesday morning training, causing alarm amongst hotel officials and they later broke down his room door, only to find him very cold.
It is not yet clear if the LFA will be willing to listen to the demand from Kamara which should help many feels could encourage many players with Liberian origin to come and play for the Lone Star.