Wednesday, July 07, 2010

BICSKEI JOINS LIBERIA

Coach Bertalan Bicskei has finally been unveiled as head coach of the senior national football team of Liberia.

After weeks of delay, the Hungarian was presented to the public Monday at a news conference held at the SKD Sports Complex in Paynesville City outside Monrovia.

The signing and unveiling ceremony of Bertalan Bicskei was graced by officials of the Liberia Football Association, the Ministry of Youth and Sports ordinary Liberians and members of the media.

The coach said he was very happy to have been unveiled as head coach of the nation’s pride and joy.

“I am very happy. Before I sign the contract, we had some meeting and both parties have agreed,”.

Coach Bicskei, 66, has been contracted with the Lone Star for four years and replaces German coach Antoine Hey who resigned from the hot seat in March on 2009.

The value of the deal has not been disclosed to the public.

The coach’s contract is subject to review after its first two years.

He will be charged with the responsibility of qualifying the team for the 2012 Nation’s Cup finals in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea.

The Hungarian will also have an oversight on all of the country’s junior national teams.

On the issue of booking a place for the Lone Star at the 2012 finals, the former Malaysian national team boss described the task as huge but assured it was achievable.

Coach Bicskei disclosed he would hold meeting with coaches of premier and first division clubs in the country on Tuesday as a means of understanding the standard of football in Liberia.

The coach said he will also be asking for the names of some of the country players and the traditional system of the team.

“I know some players of course. I know the player from South Africa, I know Grandpa Doe but first I have to know every player in Liberia before deciding who the best is,”.

Coach Bertalan Bicskei also made no secret his desire to have a Liberian among his bathroom staff as a deputy coach.

“I have two very good friends in Hungary from Liberia (John Moses and Philip Tarlue),”.

“Philip Tarlue is playing at the moment in Indonesia, but John Moses is working as a coach in Budapest, Hungary and I would like to work with him but we have to talk over with the president of the FA,”.

Also speaking at the news conference, LFA president Musa Bility described the coming in of the coach as an accomplishment.

He called on the public to be patient and not to expect too much from him.

“Liberians, today we are hiring a new coach, this does not mean that from now on, Liberia will start winning football games.

“What it means is that we have started to plan a program for football.

“We are asking the Liberian people to be patient and not to expect the whole world to come tomorrow,” noted Mr. Bility.