The vetting committee of the Liberia Football Association is inviting three top notched international coaches for interview for the post of head coach of the country’s senior national football team.
Roberto Landi of Italy, Jose Luciano Reis Silva of Brazil and Hungary’s Bertalan Bicskei will face a panel beginning May 26, 2010 up to the June 4th having been shortlisted in the last three category of the vetting process.
According to the spokesman of the LFA Henry Flomo, Nigeria’s Sampson Siasia and Dr. Kianosh Khodakaram of Iran are listed for reserve, in the invent where there is a short fall in the process of interview.
Siasia and others felt short of the last listing, according to the chairman of the vetting committee Executive Committee member Bishop Allen Klayee.
LFA Clarifies on Coach Issue
Meanwhile, the attention of the Liberia Football Association, LFA, has been fatigued by the constant misinformation and disinformation filtering from some circles of the sporting community.
For some time now there have been claims that the vetting committee charged to bring forth a qualified, astute and upright coach for the Liberia national football team dropped an Iranian coach, Human Afaezeli, and of late, Nigeria’s Samson Siasia.
Under normal circumstance, as in the past, the LFA would have allowed the claims and misplaced aggressions to go unopposed and unnoticed. However, LFA spokesman says the continual bashing of the LFA through its vetting committee, which is headed by a Bishop of the Gospel, cannot reside on unattended to, giving it has the proclivity to sway the minds of the already gullible society of ours.
In a press statement the LFA spokesman says “the LFA cannot discuss Human Afaezeli giving that he did not apply for position at the LFA unless the accusers can prove otherwise. The LFA is not prepared to waste breathe on a nonissue, neither is it prepared to discuss the merits and demerits of Human’s qualification”.
With over 60 applications for various positions advertised, the vetting committee had too much load on its head, thus could not and cannot dissipate resources and energy in discussing one Iranian, who did not even attempt the process.
The LFA feedback comes in the wake of constant direct and indirect attacks on it on the issue of the Afaezeli and Nigeria’s Samson Siasia.
Much as the LFA does not intent to run a war of words with anyone, the readership of the institutions used to amplify them needs to understand the truism of the process leading to finding coaches for the Liberian national teams.
On the issue of the dropping of former Nigerian international Samson Siason from the last three short listing, the LFA says it wonders why the overnight advocates of Siasia did not query the Nigerians who shunned him and others in favor of foreign coach when he attempted to head the Super Eagles sometimes back.
No one has ever argued the history of Siasia but you equally have a credible and well experienced vetting team that is dealing with scores of other world class coaches from every nook and Conner of the globe.
According to the LFA spokesman, the listing of the over 60 applicants has always been readily available at the football house, and some reporters have had access. “Why would people who come at the LFA daily scapegoat of not having access to names”?
What other explanation one would opt for in seeking a head coach other than high level of long term experience, good reputation, contact and so forth.
The vetting committee needs the necessary space and chance to work and at the end of the process, the team will make a comprehensive report to Liberian people.
The vetting committee is independent and credible. It is guided by sound policies aimed at hitting another rebirth of Liberian football. They need the ethical support of the Liberian people.
In another development, the LFA has termed as bizarre a story that the football house has violated its statute by appointing a chief of office staff in the office of the president. According to the press officer, the LFA statute did not limit the president from enhancing his job by bringing on board competent and qualified individuals.
Mr. Flomo Said nothing forbids the president from doing what is right, especially when it borders on the viability of the LFA. The LFA recently made several high profiled appointments including former head of the National Social Security and Welfare Corporation of Liberia, Horatio Gould, who takes the post of chief of office staff.