Montgomery Wins Best Referee Award

Liberian Referee Isaac T. Z. Montgomery has won the Best Referee award for the Liberia Football Association/Cellcom 2013 national league. He joined the Referees Association of Liberia in 2009 as a four division referee from the Sinkor league before going to FIFA in January this year.

Montgomery, who is a center referee dux, did his first international fitness text here at the Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Stadium in Paynesville before going to Cairo, Egypt for the Young Talented Referees Course where he performed splendidly putting Liberia on the map of CAF and FIFA football.

Speaking to this paper after the award, Montgomery said he was thankful to the Liberia Football Association for the recognition. According to him, duxing the fitness and putting Liberia on the map of referees is one thing, but remaining on the list of FIFA referees is another challenge. The Liberian referee hopes to become one of the best FIFA referees in Africa to help other upcoming talents.

“I am an instructor of Accounting at the University of Liberia and Senior Accountant at Engineer and Planer, so seeing myself in the field of referee and coming this far is a plus for me”, he noted.

Montgomery said the best referee of the 2012 league, Jerry Yekeh, is one of those persons that helped him to attain the level he has reached, and was thankful to him.

He called on fellow referees to work hard and keep the association, noting that referees are very important to the game of football around the world. “We have a very key role in the game and as the league has opened, I hope we all are at our best as we are”, he concluded.

FC Fassel President Optimistic Despite Defeat

FC Fassell President, Cassell A. Kuoh, Sr., said he is not deterred despite losing 1-0 lost in her league opener to Mighty Barolle at the Tusa Field in Gardnerville over the weekend. Speaking in a post-match interview, the 2011 recipient of the National Excellence Sportsman of the Year Award, strongly believed that the soccer missionaries will surely bounce back.

“Though it’s disheartening, but we were just unfortunate to lose. The boys played their best but that’s football… We still have more games to go but to be realistic, poor attitudes in-front goal and other slack mistakes really affected us today.

However, with new faces on the squad and judging from what I saw today, we were just unlucky to at least get a point. I trust this team and I am optimistic that we will make a mark this year. We just need to re-consolidate and come firm in the next matches”, stated the Fassell Boss.

The Soccer Missionaries started with pressure against their opponent in the first 25 minutes but couldn’t utilize their chances. The match became balanced afterward and the Rollers capitalized on a silly error by the Fassell goalkeeper by getting a penalty and converting it into goal in the 43rd minute; first half ended 1-0.

After the break, the match was still at the same status quo with the ball being played mostly in the center area but in the dying minutes, Fassell took the game to Barrolle and was rewarded a penalty, which Fassell failed to convert thru the last season top scorer, Sam Kollie, making the match to end 1-0 in favor of the Rollers. Fassell’s next match is at the same venue next Tuesday at 2p.m. against Aries F.C.

Club Beer Whips Margibi Blue Angel

Monrovia Club Breweries kept their Cellcom National League hopes alive with a 2-0 win over Margibi County- based Mighty Blue Angel on Sunday at the D. Twe soccer ground. Goals coming from Blidi Jackson and Ben Sackor put the home team up in the 87 minute but the away team drew level before the first half break.

The Breweries side started well, much to the frustration of the home support, and took the lead after 62 minutes in the second half when Emmanuel David relinquished possession just outside his own box to allow Mark Quaqua to go one-on-one with him, resulting into a foul.

Blidi, from the 36 yard set piece in the 64 minutes, was able to secure the first goal which deflected from the wall of Blue Angel and into the back of the net, thus tricking Marcus Jacob.

The Angel defenders were caught napping again, eight minutes later when Ben Sackor was allowed to turn on the edge of the box and curled a shot into the down corner to beat goalkeeper Marcus Jacob.

The Angel defenders were caught napping again, eight minutes later when Ben Sackor was allowed to turn on the edge of the box and curled a shot into the down corner to beat goalkeeper Marcus Jacob.