Liberia striker Francis Doe quits at 25yrs

  1. Posted on Thursday 14 October 2010 - 16:05
    Gbentil
    Image of Gbentil
    Glorea Bentil, AfricaNews reporter in Accra, Ghana
    Liberia and Al Ahly striker Francis Grandpa Doe has announced his decision to quit international football in order to give his full attention to club commitments. He told Goal.com that Lone Star duties almost caused his club career and is not ready to be unemployed looking at his family responsibilities.
    Francis Doe liberia striker
    The 25-year-old said after their match against Mali that national commitments are having a heavy toll on his job at club level.

    Doe immediately took the decision after the Malian airport officials told him early on Sunday morning that his flight back to Egypt had being cancelled.

    He said it was frustrating as his club Al Ahly of Egypt was not given prior notice of the flight cancellation and that might cause him to be in trouble with the club.

    The young striker with only nine caps with the Lone Star dates his frustration with the national team back to 2008 when his passport went missing and it took him weeks before getting reunited with his former club DC United.

    “I think this problem is appearing to take my job away. I lost my job with Minnesota Thunders and DC United for returning late after national duty,” Doe stressed.

    Doe said Ah Ahly recently fined him $26,000 followed by a stern warning after he failed to return to the club in time when he was expelled from the Lone Star for breaking camp regulations.

    “Speaking here today I think this is a decision I wanted to take couple of months ago, but the suspension caused me to wait until it had being lifted so now that I am back in the team, I am declaring from the depth of my heart that I am quitting the Lone Star to concentrate on my club career.

    “I know this decision does not go down well with my fans and supporters back home, but I ask them to forgive me and accept it.

    “I am sorry I cannot revisit this decision because this is a situation I cannot handle. I am fathering four children and I must build their future through this job I am doing.

    Doe is keen on protecting his job and is not ready to compromise.

    “Playing for Al Ahly is the best moment I ever enjoyed in my career and I don’t want to lose it. Al Ahly had told me that I need to be very careful or else they are prepared to let me go.”

    Doe denied reports that the club is about to offload him in January, adding his latest decision will strengthen his stay with them. The Liberia FA said it had not received official communication from the player about his retirement plan.

    Doe represented Liberia in the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification matches, as well as the qualifying competition for the 2008 African Cup of Nations. Doe scored two goals during Liberia's 2008 ACN qualifying campaign, opening the scoring in a 3-2 victory over Rwanda on October 8, 2006, and scoring Liberia's lone goal in their 3-1 loss to Cameroon on March 28, 2007.

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