Monrovia-Liberia national football team head coach Mario Marinica has, for the umpteenth time, given some uninspiring messages as Equatorial Guinea meet Liberia in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) qualifiers at the Estádio de Malabo in Malabo on 11 October.
By Danesius Marteh, [email protected]
The second leg is at the Samuel Kanyon Doe sports complex (SKD) in Paynesville on 14 October.
Mario told a pre-match news conference on 4 October that it was very difficult for him to strike a balance to get the most competitive team in the shortest possible time.
In a palatable but contradictory excuse, Mario said he doesn’t have the luxury of time to train his foreign-based players.
“Foreign [based] players are not able to come in advance to have training with them. That’s Fifa regulations. It’s not easy to compare with that in particular that we are a small country and we don’t have players to play at a very high level. So therefore we had to look at players that are much possible in form,” said Mario.
He praised the Liberia Football Association (LFA) and local clubs for providing him with ample time to train the local players.
“In a way what actually was great for us is that LFA and the clubs were very understanding to allow us to do training sessions and to have an early camp here and in Equatorial Guinea so players from abroad are going to start coming there.
“We are looking forward to these two matches and have the maximum possible to keep a very good chance after the two matches to qualify for the Afcon 2025,” he added.
Mario’s 24-man squad, which was posted on the LFA Facebook page on 3 October, has been reduced to 22 players following injuries to defender Joel Johnson of Charlotte Independence in the United States of America and midfielder Mohammed Sangare of AC Bellinzona in Switzerland.
It is a blatant reality of the lies said by Mario during his unveiling in February that he had a list of 85 new players around the world.
The inclusion of unattached midfielders Nohan Kenneh and Armah Ayo Vaikainah, who aren’t new players, summarizes the lies told by our ‘Fast & Furious’ coach.
Ayo made nine appearances during the 2023/2024 season, including 87 minutes in two appearances in 2024, for Marsaxlokk in the top league in Malta.
He had been warming the bench in an underrated league and didn’t play his club’s last four matches when Mario fielded him for five minutes in a 1-0 victory over São Tomé and Príncipe at the Municipal Stadium of Oujda in a 2026 World Cup qualifier in Morocco on 9 June.
Nohan, who hasn’t played since the 2024/2025 season began in Europe in August, spent the 2023/2024 season on loan to Shrewsbury in England’s League One, two places below the Premier League.
The last of Nohan’s 28 appearances came in a 3-0 defeat away to Lincoln on 27 February.
Goalie Derrick Julu’s inclusion is another cause for concern as to why goalie Teddy Kollie was dropped.
Julu, who debuted in a 2-1 defeat to Burundi in an international friendly in Turkey on 29 March 2022, didn’t play last season in South Africa.
Teddy is yet to make his senior debut but regularly featured for Watanga in their run to the first division championship last season and played the full legs of their Caf Champions League against Algeria’s MC Alger in August.
Midfielder Justin Salmon, who has 20 appearances for Egersund in the OBOS-ligaen, a step below Norway’s Eliteserien (the premier league), hasn’t played under Mario as is Brem Soumaoro, who plays for Indy Eleven in the USL Championship in the United States of America.
There was a recall for defender Prince Balde, who played under Peter Butler and Ansu Keita.
Blade, who last played in a 2-1 defeat to South Africa in a 2023 Afcon qualifier at the SKD on 28 March 2023, plays in Sweden for FC Rosengård in division one.
Mario also said he doesn’t have enough time to train with his foreign-based.
This is a disgusting excuse for Mario, who holds a Uefa Pro License, and should know better.
All coaches of men’s and women’s senior national teams have an international window (IW) to invite overseas-based players in keeping with the Fifa regulations on the status and transfer of players.
Under annexe one (release of players to association teams and principles for men’s football), section four defines an IW as a period of nine days starting on a Monday morning and ending on Tuesday night the following week (subject to temporary exceptions), which is reserved for representative teams’ activities.
During any IW, a maximum of two matches maybe played by each representative team (subject to the temporary exceptions below), irrespective of whether these matches are qualifying matches for an international tournament or friendlies.
The pertinent matches can be scheduled any day as from Wednesday during the IW, provided that a minimum of two full calendar days are left between two matches (e.g. Thursday/ Sunday or Saturday/Tuesday).
The big question now is “Does Mario want a month to train with his overseas-based players?
Full squad
Goalkeepers: Tommy Songo (LISCR FC), Abdulai Koulibaly (Global Pharma) and Derrick Julu (Invincible Eleven)
Defenders: Nelson Laomie and Chauncey Freeman (Watanga FC); Sampson Dweh (Viktoria Plzen, Czech Republic), Prince Balde (FC Rosengård, Sweden), Kemoh Kamara (Bea Mountain), Natus Swen (Shaita FC), Joel Johnson-injured (Charlotte Independence, United States of America) and Sabastian Teclar (LISCR FC)
Midfielders: Nohan Kenneh and Armah Ayo Vaikainah (unattached); Mohammed Sangare-injured (AC Bellinzona, Switzerland), Oscar Murphy Dorley (Slavia Prague, Czech Republic), Divine Roosevelt Teah (Hammarby, Sweden), Sheikh Sesay (Gaborone United, Botswana), Sheku Sheriff (Shaita FC) and Lawrence Kumeh (Paynesville FC)
Forwards: Terry Sackor and Mark Yallah (FC Fassell); Peter Wilson (Jerv Grimstad, Norway), Emmanuel Ernest (FC Aarau, Switzerland) and William Gibson (Heaven Eleven)