Liberia’s President George Weah is facing criticism for spending nearly seven weeks away from his country without giving a good explanation. Since leaving the West African nation on the 1st of November, Weah has attended a number of political and economic forums across Africa and Europe. But most of his time has been spent at the World Cup in Qatar where he was seen in the stands cheering on his son, Timothy, who played for the USA. President Weah is a former international footballer for Liberia who remains the only footballer from an African country ever to win the Ballon d’Or, an annual award for the world’s best player.Weah was initially scheduled to go back to Liberia on the 23rd of November, where he needs to sign a suspension of people carrying out female genital mutilation as well as x y z. But in a letter to the national legislature just days before he was due to return, he wrote that he had to extend his trip so he could attend a “Peace and Sports International” forum in Monaco, be at the World Cup as a special guest of FIFA and travel to the US in early December for a series of meetings with “business and political leaders,” ahead of the USA-Africa Leaders Summit in Washington. As of Friday, he was still in the US.
Weah is now scheduled to return to Liberia on the 18th of December.
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Critics back home have attacked Weah for being absent without explaining how his trip will benefit the country. “We can’t find any political leader anywhere in the world who has stayed away for this length of time [for non-health reasons],” Alexander B Cummings Jr, a candidate for the Alternative National Congress opposition party, who will challenge Weah in next year’s presidential election, told the FT. “There’s nothing wrong with watching one game of a child, that’s an accomplishment, but to be in Qatar for that period of time and trips to Monaco is unbelievable.”
Weah is now scheduled to return to Liberia on the 18th of December.