Liberians threaten Nations Cup walkout

ABIDJAN (Reuters) -- Liberia's national team refused to train on Tuesday in a row over payments and threatened to boycott the African Nations Cup which starts in Mali on Saturday.

"I am sitting here with the cones and the balls but there are no players," said former World Player of the Year George Weah, the team's technical director, at Liberia's pretournament training camp in Ivory Coast.

Weah told Reuters that fellow players wanted $15,000 each to take part in the tournament -- more than twice the $6,500 they have been offered by the football association of war-ravaged Liberia.

"The players are refusing to train today and threatening to pack their bags and we might face a big problem for the championship," he said.

"Some of them (the players) have already packed their bags to leave."

Liberia are scheduled to play the opening match of the Nations Cup against Mali in Bamako on Saturday before taking on Algeria and Nigeria.

In Monrovia, the West African country's football association has urged the players to moderate their demands.

"We want them to be patriotic and nationalistic. They must be sincere and dedicated," said the body's deputy secretary-general Napoleon Jaeploe.

Not feasible

"That amount, $15,000, is not feasible. The [Liberian] FA does not have that amount."

Bickering over money has been a recurring problem for the Lone Stars as it has for many other African teams.

Senegal's internationals earlier this month called off threatened strike action after sealing a deal with their government over World Cup qualification bonuses.

Liberia's players say they want compensation because they need to take time out from their professional teams to play for the national squad.

"As the technical director, I think the players have to get what they need to play," said Weah.

"If the government can go some way further to meeting the needs of the players, they might be satisfied."

Besides the multi-millionaire Weah, who plays for Al Jazira in the United Arab Emirates, the team boasts a smattering of other professionals who play outside Africa.

 

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