WHEN the Africa Cup of Nations comes around every two years the world’s biggest soccer clubs complain about losing their African stars to the continental competition.

Now Nunawading City Football Club will have to deal with the same problem after gun striker Emile Damey received his first international call up to represent Liberia

Damey, 22, got the call from Liberian national coach James Debbah in late April telling him he’d been selected as part of the team which will face Togo in the penultimate Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match on June 4.

“It was a shock in that this will be the first time I’ve been called up to a national team, but I’ve put in a lot of hard work over the past few years so it wasn’t a shock in that sense,” Damey said.

“This is a really big moment for me and my family — my mum has always wanted me to play for Liberia.”

Damey was born in Guinea to Liberian parents who had fled the war-torn country.

He arrived as a refugee in Australia when he was 11 years old.

Becoming a professional footballer was “all I wanted to do” and his journey has taken him from Townsville to Malaysia, then Thailand, with trials in Spain and Austria, before returning to Australia and playing for Nunawading City in the National Premier League.

Damey said he might be the first Australian to represent the African country at an international level.

“The coach said I’d be the first Australian-Liberian to ever play for the national team which is pretty exciting.”

Liberia is on top of Qualifying Group A with three wins from four games, two points above Tunisia and Togo, with Djibouti already eliminated.

With just two qualifying matches to go, only the top team in each group is guaranteed to qualify for the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations to be held in Gabon, and Damey is hopeful of making a meaningful contribution.

“I’ll go and give it everything I can,” Damey said.

“This is my first game and I want to make a good impression so I’ll train hard and I’ll play hard.”

@PaddyNaughtin

patrick.naughtin@news.com.au