The 2018-19 Europa League qualifiers got on the way on Thursday, June 28 with several clubs participating in the preliminary qualifying round. However, the Liberian international midfielder Murphy Oscar Dorley was missing in action.
Among the six games played on Thursday was the match involving Wales Premier League side, Cefn Druids Association Football Club, and Murphy Oscar Dorley’s Lithuania A Lyga club, FK Trakai.
The Lithuanian side were participating in their second successive qualifiers after failing to reach the 2017-18 group stage. Playing away from home, they were able to grab a point heading to the return leg at home on Thursday, July 5. Lithuanian international Donatas Kazlauskas rescued a point for FK Trakai after scoring in the 86th minute to cancel James Davies 48th minute goal.
Surprisingly for Liberians that have been following the club’s performances since Dorley moved there in 2016, the match was played without the Liberian midfielder, whose name wasn’t seen on the team’s 18-man list for the match.
Dorley spent the remaining of the 2017-18 season on loan to the Czech Republic First League side, FC Slovan Liberec, where he made 12 league appearances and scored a goal to help the team finish sixth on the league table with 46 points from 30 games. The midfielder’s time with Slovan Liberec ran out at the end of the 2017-18 season, and he was due to return to his parent club, FK Trakai.
Dorley’s absence from Trakai’s Europa League qualifiers has raised some concern with neither FK Trakai or Slovan Liberec making an official statement over the former Monrovia Club Breweries star player’s feature. Despite the end of his loan in the Czech Republic, Dorley’s name is still being listed among Slovan Liberec team’s roster on their official website while he’s not listed in FK Trakai’s roster on their website.
Meanwhile, a source closed to Dorley told The Bush Chicken that the 19-year-old midfielder might not return to Trakai, with Slovan Liberec trying to push a deal that will keep him in the Czech First League.
Featured photo courtesy of FK Trakai
