Tag: Liberia

Alvin Kamara and a couple of famous friends working hard in Liberia

Alvin Kamara and close friends Mark Ingram II, Cameron Jordan started their offseason with some hard work volunteering in Liberia:

Shoutout to Alvin Kamara. The New Orleans Saints running back started his offseason overseas, visiting his grandparents and extended family in his mother’s home country of Liberia. And while he was there, Kamara met with local government officials and community organizers to lend a hand however he could, including the mayor of Monrovia, the nation’s capital.

And he had some big help from a couple of famous friends. Kamara’s teammate Cameron Jordan says he invited himself to fly into Monrovia and join Kamara in volunteering with the sanitation department to help clean up the streets. Their former teammate and close friend Mark Ingram II made the trip, too. All three Pro Bowlers picked up shovels, slung on bright green vests, and got to work.

It’s a really great gesture from all of them. Ingram was a key influence in the Saints locker room as a team leader and mentor for Kamara, and Jordan has always valued community outreach and charity work. Both Jordan and Ingram volunteered for USO Tours during their decade-plus in the NFL. Grabbing some work gloves and choosing to leave a place better than they found it was an easy decision. Good for them providing a great example.

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Morocco vs. Liberia African Cup of Nations qualifier postponed following massive earthquake

It is not clear when Morocco and Liberia will play, but Gambia vs. Congo is still scheduled for Sunday in Marrakech

An African Cup of Nations qualifier between Morocco and Liberia has been postponed in the aftermath of a horrific earthquake on Friday night.

The 6.8-magnitude quake’s epicenter was 47 miles from Marrakech, in the High Atlas mountain range. A 4.9-magnitude aftershock was recorded around 20 minutes later.

Morocco’s Interior Ministry told the Washington Post that over 1,000 people are dead, with thousands more injured. A preliminary report from the U.S. Geological Survey said that it had been over 100 years since a quake of this strength had occurred in the region.

Morocco’s qualifier against Liberia, the final game in Group J, was set for Adrar Stadium in Agadir, a city on the Atlantic coast a little over 100 miles southeast of the earthquake’s epicenter.

“Following the earthquake that struck some areas in Morocco, the Royal Moroccan Football Federation announces the postponement of the match that was scheduled to take place on Saturday evening, September 9, 2023,” read a statement from the Moroccan federation. “After this great injury, the national football family extends its deepest condolences to the families of the victims, and wishes a speedy recovery to all those injured.”

The statement said that the qualifier would be played “at a later date” once the federation and Moroccan authorities could work out a suitable option with the African Football Confederation (AFC).

Gambia vs. Congo match in Marrakech to go ahead

The match between Morocco and Liberia was not the only game impacted by the earthquake. Gambia, obliged to play its home qualifiers in Morocco and Senegal after the AFC determined that no Gambian stadium was suitable to host, is due to take on Congo in Marrakech on Sunday in Group G’s final game.

Reuters reported on Saturday that both teams spent the night sleeping outdoors after evacuating their hotels, and that the AFC had confirmed that the game would go ahead as planned.

“We have been told our match on Sunday must go ahead. It’s quite strange that the Morocco game is off but ours is not… we think it is best this game is postponed because the mood among the players is understandably somber and everyone is a little scared.” said Gambia manager Tom Saintfiet.

“We are okay but still in shock,” added Paul Put, Congo’s manager. “Mentally it’s difficult to keep up the concentration. We had to sleep outside, near the swimming pool. It was very scary and even now a complicated situation for the players.”

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