Liberian football icon and former Lone Star head coach, James Salinsa Debbah, has launched a scathing critique of former President George Manneh Weah, accusing him not only of disrespecting but also neglecting the family of late President Samuel K. Doe, particularly the late First Lady, Nancy B. Doe.
Speaking passionately during a live interview on The Class Reloaded on Tuesday evening, Debbah recounted personal experiences and long-standing grievances that suggest a deep rift between the two former football teammates turned public figures.
“He humiliated me like that too,” Debbah revealed. “He sent for me, kept me waiting for six hours, and never saw me. Two days later, he went to an event and told one of our friends how I came to him. In six years, I sent him messages about 15 times, not one response.”
Debbah said that level of disregard extended beyond personal ties and included how President Weah allegedly treated the Doe family, a family, he reminded the public, that once played a vital role in supporting both his and Weah’s football careers.
“Former President Doe contributed immensely to our careers. After the Ghana game, he called the two of us to the Executive Mansion and gave us US$2,000, imagine what that meant at the time,” Debbah stated. “And Weah treated Doe’s wife like that?”
He added that the former president not only disrespected the Doe family but neglected them throughout his term in office, despite their contributions to national development and sports.
“Nancy Doe tried many times to get a meeting with him. She wanted to discuss the family’s legal struggles and personal matters. He ignored her completely. She died with those issues unresolved. That’s neglect,” Debbah said.
The Doe family has, for years, been fighting for justice concerning the assassination of President Samuel K. Doe during Liberia’s civil war. Even after the ECOWAS Court ruled in the family’s favor, citing human rights violations and calling for compensation, there were widespread reports that the Weah administration failed to enforce the ruling and allegedly interfered with the legal process.
Debbah’s criticisms come just months after the death of Madam Nancy B. Doe in May 2025, a moment many say should have inspired reflection and reconciliation. Instead, Debbah claims, it highlighted the cold shoulder the family received from a president who once benefited from their support.
Although Debbah and Weah had reportedly reconciled in 2022 following an earlier public fallout, these fresh remarks suggest the wounds were never truly healed. His statements have triggered intense public reaction, reigniting discussions around national healing, political loyalty, and the moral obligations of leaders to those who supported them along the way.
While some Liberians have praised Debbah for speaking truth to power, others are questioning the timing of the revelations. Still, many agree that the issues of disrespect and neglect toward families affected by Liberia’s conflict remain unresolved.
As the country continues to wrestle with its painful past and the expectations of justice, Debbah’s comments underscore a broader frustration, that those who once gave so much to Liberia are too often forgotten or mistreated when power shifts.
And as more voices begin to speak out, the question lingers: How do we treat those who helped build the nation, when the lights are off and the crowds are gone?
