Published: March 10, 2025
MONROVIA – Former Liberian international James Debbah has refuted claims that Paulo Campos, currently visiting Liberia, served as the head coach of the Liberia National Team in 1986.
Campos returned to Liberia on Tuesday, March 4, 2025, marking his first visit in 39 years since working with the Lone Star.
The Brazilian coach is on a one-month visit hosted by former Chief Patron of Sports George Manneh Weah, following advice from FC Fassell Chief Executive Officer Cassell Kuoh.
Speaking with reporters upon Campos’s arrival, former President Weah asserted that the 68-year-old Brazilian coached Liberia’s national team in 1986 and led them to a training camp in Brazil. Weah also credited Campos with significantly shaping his football career and influencing his ambition to become a world-class striker.
“He told me he wanted to return to Liberia after so many years to help with the national team. I told him, ‘Coach, I am no longer the president, and I don’t work for the government, but I can connect you with them,’” Weah revealed.
However, appearing as a guest on Hott FM on Friday, Debbah insisted Campos never held the position of head coach of Liberia’s national team.
Research indicates Campos’s Wikipedia page does list him as coaching Liberia in 1986, contradicting Debbah’s claim.
“He was not a coach of Liberia; he served only as a physical trainer for a few months in 1986 after the team returned from Brazil. I missed that trip due to my upcoming high school graduation,” Debbah explained.
Debbah identified another Brazilian, referred to as Coach Judo, as the actual head coach of Liberia at the time. He also suggested Campos’s visit might be a publicity stunt orchestrated by certain individuals.
Debbah further dismissed Campos’s claim that he was responsible for transforming Weah from a winger into a striker, emphasizing that Weah was already well-established in Liberian football.
“How can you claim you turned Weah into a better striker when he was already a prominent name in Liberian football?” Debbah questioned.
In a Facebook post from 2024, Debbah, a longtime national teammate of Weah, criticized the former president for inadequately promoting football during his administration. Debbah noted that, unlike former President Samuel K. Doe, who invested in football by sending the team to train in Brazil, Weah missed an opportunity during his six-year presidency to significantly develop Liberian football.
“Not much was done to elevate our football during Mr. Weah’s presidency compared to what Doe achieved for us in 1986,” Debbah remarked.
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