Dulee Speaks to Goal.com

Dulee Johnson’s natural style of playing on the football pitch keeps attracting not only football fans but the international media. Recently, the widely read sports website – Goal.com’s Africa Editor, Ibrahiam Dabo caught up with the Liberia midfielder to ask him about the war in his country, the recovery process, his career and plans for the future.

By popular request, we reproduce the entire interview below:  

Liberia, a country on the West Coast of Africa, is still recovering from a bloody civil war which took place between 1989 and 1996, and erupted again in 1999 to 2003.

On the football scene, the country is now banking on a young crop of players to solidify the national team, Lone Star, and raise their profile in international tournaments.

Among the young crop of players whom Liberians are counting on to help turn the fortunes of the team around is Dulee Johnson, a 22-year-old who currently plays Division 1 football for AIK Solna in Sweden.

The talented midfielder is one of the promising stars in the national team who also has an ambition of becoming one of Africa’s best in Europe.

While the bitter memories of war still remain in the minds of many Liberians, Dulee told Goal.com that sport is seen as a primary factor in uniting his country after the turmoil and loss of lives that took place there.

“I think sports as a whole brings people together,� said Johnson.

More than 200,000 people were estimated to have been killed during the war in Liberia but football has played a vital role in reuniting Liberians.

“The past president, Charles Taylor, tried to use sports to bring the people together, especially after the war,� added Johnson. “And now, our current president, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, is one who was there for the game against Cameroon [in an African Nations Cup qualifier in June].�

Liberia qualified for their first ever African Nations Cup in 1996, which was seen as a remarkable achievement in the country’s footballing history, taking into consideration the state of affairs in the country at that time.

“It was a very big thing that happened after Liberia qualified, and if I am not mistaken, my father [Josiah N. Johnson] was the technical director for the team at that time,� recalls Johnson.

“It was a very big moment in Liberia and it’s like the kids watching their country and professional players playing on television – and they had the courage that one day things will be better. It was very big for Liberia at that moment, so I think it helped a lot in a way to bring the people together and for them to know there is hope somewhere.�

In 2002, Dulee was part of the Liberia national team that participated in the African Nations Cup in Mali, where he was the youngest player of the tournament.

And now having gained a lot of experience playing in Europe, his role in the national team is becoming phenomenal.

According to Dulee, the team is currently going through a building process and he also believes it is a good idea for his country’s leaders to use sports as a tool of unity, as such a move has indeed made a big difference in Liberia.

“Now we try to use players from all over the country and it makes a very big impact. It’s been very helpful and some of them that have fought in the war, some of these youngsters are coming to Europe and having a little better life, I mean by the help of God, and then they want to make it,� says Dulee.

“So I think it is a great impact and it’s very smart from the presidents that we have had to use sport, and it can be any kind of sport. When we spoke to her [President Shirleaf Johnson], it’s like she is so much into soccer and she said she is waiting to see Liberia in the next Nations Cup in 2010.

“In reality, football is number one now in Africa. Of course, it is going to be number one. Sport in general brings people together and after all the civil war, it has played a very, very big impact in a small country like Liberia for teams that have been through the war and have no hope.�

And what should Liberians look forward to? “Now they can know there is hope somewhere, that one day, I can be the next George Weah, or Michael Essien,� said a confident and determined Dulee.

Looking ahead to the future of Liberian football, the midfielder said the authorities need to do more to promote the development of the game in the country, especially ahead of major tournaments in 2010 like the African Nations Cup and World Cup finals.

“Well now after the war, the president is trying to do her best and I think she needs to add more interest,� said Dulee.

“I think she already has interest in it but she needs to add more because I believe she knows that football brings people together a lot, especially since we have lost a lot of good players like George Weah and James Debbah. They are not currently in the national squad and we have a very young squad right now.

“So definitely, it’s going to take time but in fact, we need the full support from the government and then try to develop hope in the country. I think that sports unite people, especially after the war, destruction and hatred. So it might take some time but it is very good because we have a lot of young players."

The current team composes of young players and Dulee says: â€œI’m talking about ages of 20, 21 and I think the oldest is between 25 and 26-years-old. We are trying to build the team so in 2010 we can do something.â€�

It’s not only the country’s president who is female. The president of the Liberia Football Association (LFA) ¯Sombo Izetta Wesley—is also a woman and many people see it as significant to have two women playing a leading role in the affairs of the country.

“Yes, it’s like you said. I mean now it’s like things are changing and it is a modern world that we live in. So I think that it is a good idea…They are trying to do their best and see how best they can try to develop the sport in the country. So, it’s a very big thing. Liberia is a very little country so we hope to see developments in the country,� said Dulee.

Having spent over five seasons playing in Sweden, Dulee is one of the league’s best midfielders. He has great vision and is hoping to play football at a higher level.

He joined Swedish top division club AIK in 2006 where he has already made an impression. He was named player-of-the-month twice and was branded by Swedish commentators as one of the league’s most creative players.

His fighting spirit in midfield helped the club win second place in the championship and he now believes his achievements so far can serve as a platform for him to build on.

“Everything is moving on fine [at AIK],� said Dulee. “It’s just that I have been here [in Sweden] for quite a long time and I’m trying to - hopefully, by the grace of the Almighty - take another step. I am now ready to take that step, I think higher. So it’s just a matter of time and it can be any day.�

Asked about where he sees himself in the next five years, he spoke with so much confidence saying: “In the next five years, I see myself as being one of the top African players in Europe, and, that I am sure about 100%.�

So it is only a matter of time, we’ll all see what this young Liberian prodigy has to offer for both Liberia and African football in general.

Ibrahim Dabo