Hungarian to coach Liberian national football team for four years

Bertalan Bicskei was last month nominated to the post by the Liberia Football Association from a poll applicants following weeks of vetting process by the technical arm of the football house.

Bicskei brings to the job bounty experience, having coached in Europe, Asia and Africa.  

LFA president Musa Bility urged Liberians to be patient with coach Bicskei: we did not bring coach Bicskei to perform miracles but to create opportunity for the children of Liberia to prove themselves.

He said though everyone yearns for the speedy return to competitive actions and winning of laurels, it is important to note that the coach needs a chance to develop the Liberian game.

The LFA president lauded the Sports ministry especially its Minister Tarpeh for given the LFA the leverage and sole responsibility to manage the national teams of the country.

In similar tone and manner, Sports Minister Etmonia Tarpeh called on football lovers to give the new coach chance to build the national teams of Liberia.

The four year contract was made and entered into on July 5, 2010 at the SKD Sport Complex outside Monrovia between the LFA through its president Musa Bility and the Hungarian Bicskei.

It was witnessed by the Secretary General of the LFA Idrissa Kaba and Bicskei’s agent Shachar Greenberg; it was approved by Sports Minister Tarpeh.

Besides the US$15,000.00 monthly base salary, the LFA will spend more than US$250.000.00 per annual on coach Bicskei. This includes but not limited to housing, vehicle, security, maintenance, air tickets and medical.

The LFA president feels the more one is encouraged, the commitment he/she provides to a service. In this token, and besides the mouthwatering net salary of US$15,000.00, the LFA has lined bonuses on every game and every qualification to the targeted tournaments.

US$3,000.00  for all wins at home; US$4,500.00 for away wins; US$1,000.00 for home draws; US$2,000.00 for all away draws; US$50,000.00 for qualification to CAF nations cup finals and US$150,000.00 for qualification to the world cup finals.

The coach, among others, is charged with the responsibilities: to present a full technical plan of action for review and approval; he shall advise the LFA on the recruitment, selection and supervision of deputy and assistant coaches and football staffers; ensures discipline among the players as per the code of conduct; he shall have exclusive and sole decision as to who plays on the national teams; and the responsible over the technical development of the various national teams and shall have full responsibility for the actual field coaching direction of the national teams…..

The Hungarian international takes over the Liberia national teams following more than a year without a manager, after the resignation of German coach Antoine Hey in 2009.

Coach Bicskei takes the senior national team, the Lone Star, into the qualifiers of Africa premier competition, the Nations Cup. The fray begins the first week of this September.