PAYNESVILLE – President George M Weah trained with Liberia national team on Monday, October 7, 2019 ahead of the AFCON preliminary encounter with Chad.
The Liberia leader arrived for the afternoon practice session as Coach Peter Butler side prepared for the first leg match on Wednesday, October 9, 2019 at the Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Complex in Paynesville City.
Pres. Weah who wore the number 22 bib was seen chatting to players and giving coaching instructions during the training session.
The former AC Milan, Chelsea and Monaco forward during the height of his peak played against the North-central nation in the 2002 Fifa World Cup qualifiers preliminary round matches where Liberia won away 1-0 thanks to Kelvin Sabwe lone goal and were held to stalemate in Monrovia.
Pres Weah in Action against Nigeria
While President of Liberia, Weah made a surprise return to international football at the age 51 when he came out of retirement in a friendly against Nigeria on September 11, 2018 with his famous number 14 jersey being made to retire.
In September, FrontPageAfrica ran an article “Back On the Pitch” when Pres. Weah who was described by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) of being a “Football President” was listed to play in match between ECOWAS parliament and the Liberia’s legislature.
The Liberian leader then received numerous of criticism from the public and some officials of government for his continued involvement in sporting activities.
However, other football lovers believe that his presence on the playing pitch would serve as an inspiration for the players to ably represent Liberia at the AFCON.