A basic training camp arranged between the Liberia Football Association and their Saudi Arabian partner for the senior men’s Lone Star national team has been cancelled ahead of two crucial African Cup of Nations qualifying fixtures slated for September 2024.
Lone Star is to kick of her 2025 nation’s cup qualifier campaign against Togo in an away match on Friday Septembers 6, 2024 in Stade De Kegue.
72 hours thereafter, the team will play their match day two encounter on home soil against the Algerian national team.
On Tuesday July 2, 2024 LFA president Mustapha Raji told a media engagement at his Swankamore office in Congo Town that the football house secured an agreement with the people of Saudi to have the Lone Star team of players and technicians going to their country for an intensive month-long training.
According to him, the camp was essential for the Lone Star as a boost of their preparation to the AFCON qualifiers because Coach Mario Marinica would use the occasions to engage both local and foreign base players in an advanced training method.
Since the engagement with the LFA boss, the Liberian national team has not gotten engaged with training activities while the continental event is gradually approaching to witness their participation.
It has been established that the team will no longer go to Saudi Arabia for the training because the government of Liberia through the Ministry of Youth and Sports reportedly failed to provide an amount of U$150,000 at the needed time to accommodate the trip.
According to sources in the LFA, the government made nearly the budgeted fund available after the deadline of the team trip was met in the midst of a series of conflicting circumstances between the national team head coach and his employers over salary payment and unpaid game bonus from the last match against Sao Tome.
Anthony Koikoi of the LFA media department when contacted confirmed that the team had been in some crisis both with the head coach and the government concerning funding which place a halt on training and other activities.
Koikoi also confirmed that the trip of the players has been cancelled with a plan for the FA to use the trip funding and other resources for the two upcoming games in September.
According to Koikoi, many of the issues raised by the coach concerning why he was away have been responded to by the FA and the government with assurance that the team will begin training in the coming days for their encounter.
He said, Coach Mario Marinica is expected in the country in the course of this week to continue his task ahead of the national team and his programs for preparation will get underway to have him achieving his objectives with the men’s senior team.
Anthony Koikoi also maintained that the coach consented and advised that the team training starts next week leaving out the planned training camp because many of the local players that were to be selected for said program are now in their different camps for the Confederation of African (CAF) inter-club competitions.
