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Following a lengthened period of idleness
from top flight club football, Liberia’s
Francis Doe has finally joined Atromitos FC
of Greece on a long standing loan contract
from Buduburam FC in Ghana, the player’s
management team, Dokpah International Sports
Management (DISM) disclosed Sunday.
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Francis Forkey Doe - Attacker |
Doe, 19, a swift and sublime striker with
lot of prospects, is making his first
competitive move after a rousing beginning
with Tonnerre KC of Cameroon that he powered
to the 2002 CAF Cup finals.
And although not much was said about the
loan, Doe will have to live above
denigration especially with an extended
absence from club football.
Moving to Greece, which is considered one of
the tough European Leagues, pundits say it’s
a rebirth for the Liberian youngster who had
been experiencing difficulty lately and
settling rather quickly shouldn’t be any
problem now, even if his pasts are anything
to go by.
Minnesota Thunder in the US second top
League almost 15 months ago, signed the
Liberian prodigy, but he never had the
chance to break into their mainstream for
several reasons, however had only been
featuring for Liberia in the 2006 World Cup
qualifiers where he had also been under
pressure to make an impression because of
his scoring record.
Francis Doe had had exciting series of
trials with Montpellier of France, Walsall
FC and Portsmouth both of England and Al-Jazirah
in the UAE in the last two years, searching
desperately to find a permanent contract.
Greece, until recently, used to be the home of several
Liberian players, and at one point half of
Liberia’s 2002 World Cup Qualifiers squad
was imported from the Alpha Ethniki,
ironically, only Oliver Makor of Ionions FC
is keeping the haunt in the top league.
Atromitos FC, formerly Atromitos Athinon FC
as a second division club, finished second
from the floor last season, but merged with
Halkidona FC a neighboring first division
club and is now playing in the nearly one
week-old Alpha Ethniki as Atromitos Athinon
FC.
The new team has Atromitos's 10,000-capacity
stadium in the Athens suburb of Peristeri,
which was given a facelift in the summer, as
their home ground and under the tutelage of
Coach Georgios Parashos who recently signed
a contract extension.
Atromitos, founded in 1923, have a decent
fan base, despite their financial problems
that prevented them satisfying the Hellenic
Football Federation's licensing requirements
for the season just ended, but it’s their
optimism that the new nuptials would help
stabilize the team and resolve several
pecuniary obligations.
Meanwhile, Atromitos Athinon FC battled AEK
Athens in their first fixture of the new
season Wednesday, but whether their Liberian
striker will immediately thump into the
line-up will be appreciated by his fans. |
