Former Thunder Player Francis “Grandpa” Doe and Stars Player Louis Crayton, Allegedly Attack Reporter
An African online news source All Africa.com is reporting that the Secretary General of the Sports Writers Association of Liberia, Roland Mulbah, was attacked by three players from the Liberian National Team on May 31, 2011.
According to the paper:
The players, Anthony Laffor of Super Sports United in South Africa, Francis “Grandpa” Doe of Egypt’s Al-Ahly, and goalkeeper Louis Crayton of the Minnesota Thunder (was actually a former Minnesota Stars player) in the U.S., attacked Mulbah with kicks and punches after the journalist photographed them during a practice match between Liberia’s national soccer team and First Division Club side Watanga FC, at the Antoinette Tubman Stadium (ATS) in Monrovia.
Mulbah, who also writes for the online publication liberiansoccer.com, had to be rushed to hospital by his colleagues after suffering severe pain from the punches and kicks.
According to eyewitnesses, the players’ action lasted for more than 15 minutes in full view of a number of officials from the Liberia Football Association, who were said to be laughing at the display.
Louis Crayton
Laffor, Crayton and Doe claimed that Mulbah was always writing negative stories about them, which prompted the attack.
“My attackers will not go free. I will take legal action against them. This is a country of law and I will ensure the law takes its course,” Mulbah said.
Doe played 4 games for the Minnesota Thunder in 2004 before using an option in his contract to move to Greek club Atromitos. He also played for the New York Red Bulls in 2007 and made 22 appearances with DC United in 2008-2009.
Crayton was a big signing in 2010 for the first year NSC Minnesota Stars. Crayton tore his ACL in the last minute of play of the first half of the first game he played for the Stars against the Vancouver Whitecaps, who were then still in Division 2. Crayton never made another appearance for the team.
Previous to the Stars, Crayton spent many years playing in Europe and also made 18 appearances for DC United from 2008 to 2009.
According to the online source, this is not the first time Doe has been involved with roughing up a journalist. It reports that Doe, along with Dulee Johnson and Dioh Williams, attacked “Front Page Africa” sports editor Danesius Marteh on September 2nd, 2010. In that attack, Marteh had his camera damaged in full view of LFA president Musa Bility and vice-presidents Musa Shannon and Adolph Lawrence.
The players were expelled by then coach Bertalan Bicskei for breaking camp rules by going on a drinking spree ahead of a game with Zimbabwe.
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Doe and Crayton are two of my favorite former D.C. United players and not because of anything that they did on the pitch. Rather, their personal stories of perseverance and ascendancy in the sport were/remain inspiring.
When Crayton joined D.C. United, the Washington Post’s excellent Paul Tenorio wrote up a short piece detailing the long history between the two (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/19/AR2008081902613.html) that also emphasized Crayton’s American ties (he’s had a house in Tampa since 2003).
Filippo Maria Ricci’s terrific “Elephants, Lions & Eagles: A Journey through African Football” provides additional background regarding what eventually catapulted Doe to international football. Ricci’s book describes a 2003 article he wrote for Gazzetta dello Sport regarding a Africa Cup of Nations-qualifying match (Tunisia, 2004) between Liberia and Guinea. Ostensibly, the story is about Liberia’s struggles to compete amidst a renewed civil war. Though a home game for Liberia, the team was forced to play in Accra and, worse, the Liberian FA was without funds to pay for the team’s travel to the match. So the team fielded for the country was drawn largely from a refugee camp in Buduburam, 25 miles outside of Ghana’s capital. In describing the intensity of passion describing football played in the camp by the refugee inhabitants, Ricci writes: “Inevitably enough the local hero, Francis Doe, was christened the new Weah.”
From refugee camp to Liberian national team to Egyptian powerhouse Al Ahly. Impressive (indeed, Doe scored in Al Ahly’s first league fixture — his first league game with the team — back in 2009).
All of which would not excuse the behavior described, but I would note that both Doe and Crayton featured for the Liberian national team in their African Cup of Nations Group match against Cape Verde this weekend. Crayton kept a clean sheet and Doe headed in the game’s lone goal to give Liberia its first victory in group play against the team that is currently the top of Group A.
That’s very good stuff. Thanks for the 411.
Having spent three weeks in Africa myself, I can only imagine the difficulties some people there have to deal with on a daily basis. This is no excuse for violence, of course, but I’m pretty damn comfortable.
I was just asking whatever happened to Louis. I’ll bet Liberian jails are lots of fun.
I doubt he spent or will spend any time in jail. I’m guessing this will end in a civil suit.