IPNEWS: The authoritative Independent Probe newspaper, has reliably gathered that Liberia’s President George Manneh Weah, will return to France, following a previous weeklong visit last week on his marathon of travels.

According to a communication by President Weah, to President Pro-Tempore Albert Chie, dated November 18, 2022, the Liberian leader stated that he has been invited to attend the 13th Edition of the Peace and Sports International Forum, in Monaco, France, as a Special Guest of Honor, from November 30, 2022 to December 3, 2022.

The Liberian leader’s return to France has sparked heated debates back home with many terming the President’s travel as ‘self-gratification’, over ‘national benefits.

Also, the renewed communication differs from the previous communication to the Liberian Senate dated November 1, 2022, in which the President informed the Liberian Senate that he would have been out of the country from November 1, 2022_ to November 23, 2022.

President Weah’s communication reads:

“Dear Mr. President, Pro-Tempore:

My letter of November 1, 2022, to the Honorable Legislature, in which I informed your august body of my travel out of Liberia from November 1, 2022, to November 23, 2022, hereby refers.

It has now become necessary to extend my stay abroad due to other official engagements requiring my travel to France, Monaco, and the United States of America, as follows:

1. The 5^th Edition of the Paris Peace Forum which I attended in Paris, France, was extended from November 15, 2022, to November 18, 2022, thereby, necessitating an adjustment in my attendance as a Guest of Honor of FIFA at the World Cup in Doha, Qatar from November 18, 2022, to November 30, 2022.
2. I have been invited to attend the 13^th Edition of the Peace and Sports International Forum in Monaco, France, as a Special Guest of Honor, from November 30, 2022, to December 3, 2022.
3. Thereafter, I will travel to the United States of America, where I will hold meetings with various business and political leaders of that country from December 4, 2022, to December 12, 2022.
4. As you are aware, I have been invited by Mr. Joseph R. Biden, President of the United States of America, to attend the United States-Africa Leaders’ Summit scheduled to be held in Washington D.C. from December 13, 2022, to December 15, 2022.
5. I will return to Liberia on December 18, 2022. While I am still away from the country, the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Republic of Liberia, Cllr. Frank Musa Dean, Jr. will continue to chair the Cabinet in consultation with the Vice President and in telephone consultation with me.”

   

Last week, at the invitation of Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, President George Weah, arrived in Doha, Qatar to attend the opening ceremony of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 which kicked off at Al Bayt Stadium on Sunday, November 18, 2022.

The Liberian President and delegation were welcomed upon arrival at Hamad International Airport by the Minister of Sports and Youth, Salah bin Ghanim Al Ali, and Charges D’affaires of the Embassy of Liberia to Qatar Ali Sylla.

While in Doha, President George Weah, watched his son Timothy Weah, play for the United States of America Men’s team, against Wales.

Monaco, France, remains a unique place for President Weah, who is a football legend. The fame of World Football for President George Manneh Weah, all stated in Monaco, France.

Weah remains the only African, the only player outside of Europe, Brazil, or Argentina, to have won the Ballon d’Or.

The first Liberian burst onto the scene in Europe, helping the Monegasque outfit to a Coupe de France in 1991 and leading them to the final of the European Cup Winners’ Cup in 1992. He also exploited Monaco with an even more successful stint in France with giants Paris Saint-Germain.

Historicity of Weah & Monaco, France

The year is 1996. The early September sun is shining through the fragmented roof of Milan’s iconic San Siro and onto the pitch, where, at this moment, weaving his way through shadows and sunshine, is George Weah. Collecting the ball inside his own box with remarkable poise, George Weah has his eyes firmly on the target, the goal, nearly a hundred yards ahead of him.

He sets off. Several years before he would score the wonder goal for AC Milan against Hellas Verona, synonymous with his name and metaphorical to his rise, George Weah was born in the Clara Town settlement of Monrovia, capital of the West African nation of Liberia. Birthed into a large family by a seller mother and a mechanic father, Weah was raised by his paternal grandmother after his parents separated while he was still an infant. Weah came from humble beginnings, as many who achieve greatness often do.

Had it not been for his immeasurable talent and the acute eyes of those who watch from the sidelines, he, perhaps, would have led a humble life, too, probably as a switchboard technician. Weah’s early football career took him to the very top of Liberia, then to neighboring Ivory Coast and later to Cameroon. While playing in Cameroon for local club Tonnerre Yaounde, his talent was spotted by the then national team head coach Claude de Roy, who passed on the news of a young Liberian kid lighting up the scene to his compatriot and friend, Arsene Wenger.

Wenger took Weah to Monaco, but even the master tactician couldn’t foresee the impact his latest find was to have on his team and his life. “Weah was a real surprise. For me, it was like a child discovering a chocolate bunny in his garden at Easter. I have never seen any player explode onto the scene like he did,” he would say of the forward, who, in turn, would thank Wenger by presenting him with his FIFA World Player of the Year award later.

The Liberian burst onto the scene in Europe, helping the Monegasque outfit to a Coupe de France in 1991 and leading them to the final of the European Cup Winners’ Cup in 1992 with four goals in nine games. During his time in the principality, Weah was named the African Footballer of the Year for the first time in his career; in addition, he was crowned the French Division 1 Foreign Player of the Year for 1990/91 and earned a place in the FIFA World XI in 1991. Weah followed his exploits in Monaco with an even more successful stint in France with giants Paris Saint-Germain, with whom he won the league and three domestic titles over three years and two more African Footballer of the Year gongs.

Having established himself as one of the best in the world, the Liberia international left for heavyweights AC Milan in 1995, and half a season worth of performances later, in addition to the latter half of his final season in Paris, he was crowned the FIFA World Player of the Year and the winner of the 1995 Ballon d’Or – he remains the only African player, and the only player outside of Europe, Brazil, or Argentina, to have won the award. Weah left Milan in 2000, having won two Serie A titles, to join Premier League side, Chelsea, on loan for half a year. By then, his powers had waned, and within three years, having turned up for Manchester City, Marseille, and Al Jazira, he would leave the domestic scene.

Weah played large parts of his international career in the foreground of a civil war that tore Liberia apart and cast a heavy toll on its citizens. In times of turmoil, he became a source of joy and comfort for his compatriots and almost delivered them the proudest moment of their lives by taking them to the cusp of FIFA World Cup qualification in 2002. Despite facing domestic threats, Weah led his national team to their first Africa Cup of Nations participation in 1996 and another in 2002.

With him leading the line, the Lone Star nearly qualified for the 2002 World Cup in South Korea and Japan, missing out on qualification by a point to Nigeria. Nonetheless, Weah helped Liberia rise to the highest FIFA ranking in their history in 2001 (66) while often bankrolling the team out of his pocket and helping arrange moves for his teammates to Europe. His efforts to help Liberia, on and off the pitch, endear Weah to his people like few others in history – he is, and always has been, a source of hope for the small but proud nation, which he now leads as president. For the rest of the world, Weah is a footballing icon, one with the humblest of beginnings, among the best to grace the sport. (courtesy of FIFA Collect)