Monrovia – Liberia national football team head Coach James Debbah says Musa Shannon’s recent statement calling on him to step down as Head Coach of the national team simply because he demanded his seven months’ salary arrears is reckless and he must apologize.
Report by Christopher C. Walker – [email protected]
Debbah had gone to provide information about the national team coaches’ salary arrears owed by the Government of Liberia and the Liberia Football Association on Fabric Radio weekend sports program on August 26, 2017 but the football house vice president for administration, Musa Shannon, got furious about the Debbah’s going public to express he and his colleagues’ frustrations.
Shannon who is the acting president of the LFA called in during the program to react to some of the comments made by Debbah, but recommended Debbah’s resignation his post as head coach of the Lone Star if he was disenchanted over the delay in payment of his salary.
“If you feel you have not been paid by your employer for seven months and you are qualified, it’s better you resign or better stay without complaining,” Shannon said.
Shannon’s statement resulted into a fist fight between Debbah and UNMIL sports reporter Danesius Marteh at the closing stage of the program when Marteh said he support the LFA VPA statement, something Debbah took offense to.
Speaking to FrontPageAfrica on Tuesday, September 5, 2017 Debbah said the comment from Shannon who he played with on the national team is reckless and must not be taken serious.
“That statement was immature on the part of the vice president for administration of the Liberia Football Association,” Debbah said to FPA while responding to Shannon’s statement.
“Musa’s statement in my point of view is reckless, because Musa Shannon just came to the fray, where was he when I James Debbah, Kelvin Sebwe, George Weah, Thomas Kojo, Joe Nagbe and Dionysius Sebwe were in Liberia helping to develop this institution by playing in the local league?”
According to Debbah who was considered during his playing days the nation’s must celebrated soccer star, the LFA official has not been involved with football prior to his appointment so he does not know what it means to run football.
“Shannon needs to apologize to the technical staff for his reckless statement. How can you say such a thing to people who have given their life for the improvement of our national team?” Debbah asked.
The former Liberian striker now coach of the national team said even though Shannon is his boss, he needs to come out openly to ask for forgiveness from individuals he once played with.
“I tell you I am really surprised about what he said but I cannot blame him because he’s not aware of what has been going on; when we were here fighting for Liberian football, he was in the United State of America with his family,” Coach Debbah added.
Debbah was quick to mention that at no time he and Shannon got into conflict playing for the national team or presently as his boss so he do not know why he will decide to issue words that are not healthy for the growth of football.
“ I played a few games with Shannon, but he was not my teammate, my teammate are Joe Nagbe, George Weah, Kelvin Sebwe, Dionysius Sebwe and Thomas Kojo who play with me on the national team for decades,” Debbah asserted.
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