Liberia FA appoints Romanian Mario Marinica as new head coach

On February 20, 2024, 7:08 PM

The Liberian Football Association has announced the appointment of Romanian Mario Marinica as the new head coach of the country’s senior men’s national football team, the Lone Star.

Marinica, who has 28 years of experience in coaching signed a two-year contract with the FA and will work directly with the technical department to identify and develop talents for both domestic and international football.

The former Malawi gaffer Marinica will work with two foreign assistant coaches, Clwyd Jones and Ronald D. Moroka, and a physical therapist, Chikondi Mandalasi.

To complete his coaching staff, he will also select two local coaches, including a goalkeeper trainer.

Marinica has been tasked to lead the Lone Stars to secure qualification to the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, to be held in Morocco between July and August.

His first game will be in the preliminary round, and Liberia will discover their opponents on February 20, 2025, during the draw in Cairo, Egypt.

Before joining the Liberia Football Association, Marinica served as the Technical Director of the Football Association of Malawi on a three-year contract.

Under his guidance, the Malawi team reached the last 16 of the Cameroon 2021 AFCON, where Morocco eliminated them.