By S. SiaphaMulbah
Following the opening defeats tasted by Liberia’s delegation at the International Handball Federation competition taking place in Accra Ghana, the team blamed the low income as the key factor behind its defeat.
Speaking to this paper yesterday via mobile, the Public Relations Officer of the Liberia National Handball Association, Samuel Hassay, disclosed that more funds are needed by the association for the conduct of proper training sessions.
With the participation of seven countries in the competition, teams represented ought to put on their best performance in order to advance at any achievable level after the completion of the round ribbon encounter event.
Hassay said more training will enhance Liberian players’ capacity while participating in handball competitions locally before taking on the continental or world stage.
According to him, the opening fixtures were hard for the girls in the two separate categories, but there is still room to correct some of the wrongs, improving their participation going forward.
He said transportation and other key items lacked by the association served as factors that impeded the team from adequately preparing to go to the international competition.
It was reported as a disappointing start for Liberia Under-18 and Under-20 teams in the ongoing Women’s Handball African Cup of Nations as both teams tasted defeat in their respective opening matches.
In game one of the Under -20 category, Liberia suffered a massive setback in the opening match against host Ghana with five minutes of play-in kick-off time, the host took advantage of the leaking Liberia defense to record a 6-0 lead.
Aminata Kromah received a direct red card for a challenge on Julie Eduko of Ghana. Following the red card, Liberia’s U-20 lost control of the game and was outplayed by host Ghana throughout the entire 60 minutes.
15 goals and 10 assists from Ghanaian Star player Naomi Okine resulted in Liberia’s Under-20 heavy and unforgettable defeat.
Naomie Okine was named star player of the match following her brilliant performance.
Meanwhile, the Under-18 bow down to the Super-eagles of Nigeria in their opening match.
Nigeria’s under-18 side walked away with 61 goals, while Liberia’s under-18 managed to score 16.
