From hero to zero. Liberians protest at Weah’s political playbook and missing millions

January 8 – George Weah, Liberia’s most decorated player who now runs the country, is facing the biggest crisis of either his footballing or political career.

Weah, who played for Arsenal, AC Milan, Paris St Germain and Chelsea in a glittering international career and in 1995 was named World Footballer of the Year, retired in 2003 and turned almost immediately to politics, failing in his first attempt to become president of Liberia in 2005.

His popularity from his footballing career eventually saw him win a landslide run-off victory in Liberia’s presidential election in 2017 but thousands of protesters in the Liberian capital Monrovia this week took to the streets in anti-government protests against a deepening economic crisis in the impoverished country.

The protest was the second mass demonstration to take place in less than year against the Weah regime, the first coming last June.

Failing to adequately address an investigation which uncovered the disappearance of millions of dollars, the government allegedly restricted internet and social media access shortly before the protests took place.

Weah was reported to have threatened at the time: “If you think you can insult this president and walk in the street freely, it will not happen.”

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