MONROVIA, Oct. 1 -- The final whistle had barely faded on Tuesday when the debate moved from the pitch to the timeline. Liberia had lost at home to Mali in the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, and the man chosen to bring the country together around the Lone Star had something to say.

By Selma Lomax, selma.lomax@frontpageafricaonline.com

Rev. Dr. J. Luther Tarpeh is Chairman of the ruling Unity Party and Chair of the National Mobilization Committee for the national team. Within hours, his post had done what few losses manage: it united a large part of the public, though against him rather than behind the team.

Two Posts in One

The message read like two documents stitched together. The first was a conventional thank-you. Tarpeh...