Paynesville City – The downward state of Liberia’s senior national team, the Lone Star, has prompted a new wave of protests, with Liberians calling for the immediate dismissal of the country’s National Team Head Coach.
Though the outburst against this underperforming Lone Star coach did not come as a surprise, what’s even more shocking is that the protesters are demanding that Mustapha I. Raji, the one-time very passionate character of Liberia’s national team, step aside as well as the head of the Liberia Football Association. The disenchanted fans during Sunday’s protest claimed that Raji, like Keita, has failed to rejuvenate the nation’s pride and joy, the Lone Star.
The protesters attributed the continuous decline of the Lone Star to the insensitivity of the FA boss to make decisive decisions that would elevate the technical management of the national team. They insisted that Raji’s choice for the Head Coach job was a blur or visually impaired judgment clouded with sentiments.
According to them (protesters), those who masterminded Keita’s appointment should also vacate the top seat, since they have not been able to bring back the glorious days of the Lone Star. Before Raji became president of the LFA, his tough-talking approach won the admiration of football stakeholders and subsequently paved his way to head the FA’s leadership.
But to the disbelief of many, President Raji has miserably failed to add any inch of value to an already struggling Lone Star. Amid the unexplained cause for such a nose-dive state of the Lone Star, some angry fans on last Friday, November 17, 2023, stormed the post-match news conference at the SKD Sports Complex, minutes following Liberia’s 1-0 home defeat to Malawi.
Their action, which has also been criticized by a few pundits, appeared to be an immediate reaction to what many referred to as Lone Star’s worst home performance in decades. In continuation of Friday’s display by the aggrieved Lone Star fans, another batch of protesters embarrassingly engulfed the main entrance of the SKD stadium during the Sierra Leone vs Egypt World Cup qualifiers on Sunday.
Football pundits believe the ongoing wave of protests by fans should serve as a warning and a wake-up call to the local FA, given that no progress in Liberian football can be measured without an improvement in the National Team.
