LFA Unveils Marinica as New Lone Star Head Coach
(L-r) LFA second vice president, Saye-Taayor Adolphus Dolo and new coach Mario Marinica
The Liberia Football Association (LFA) has unveiled Mario Marinica, a Rominian, as the new head coach of Liberia's senior men’s national team, the Lone Star.
Coach Marinica was unveiled at the association's headquarters on Monday, 19 February.
The 59-year-old UEFA Pro Licence coach signed a two-year contract with the task of qualifying the Lone Star for the 2025 AFCON final tournament. He will also work with the technical department to identify and develop young potential talents domestically and internationally.
Marinica will take over the position along with his two foreign assistant coaches, Clwyd Jones and Ronald D. Moroka, as well as a physical therapist, Chikondi Mandalasi. He will later choose two local coaches—among them a goalkeeper trainer—to work with.
"My philosophy is to win, and we go with that over and over again, and we will work with adoptable plans and strategies in order to get the desired results," Marinica said. “I am aware that Liberians and supporters are not happy due to the lack of wins over the past years, and we need to deliver the win and qualify the team for the 2025 Nations Cup.”
Marinica comes with over 28 years of coaching experience at both club and national team levels.
His first two matches as head coach will be in the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025 preliminary round, when Liberia face Djibouti both home and away.
The matches will be played on a home and away basis during the FIFA window of 18-26, March 2024.