Former Liberian President and global football icon George Weah has been appointed by FIFA to play a leading role in its newly launched Players’ Voice Panel, a 16-member body of former football stars tasked with driving the fight against racism and discrimination in the sport.
Weah will serve as the honorary captain of the panel, which was officially announced as part of FIFA’s Global Stand Against Racism initiative endorsed by all 211 member associations in May 2024. The panel’s mandate includes advising on anti-racism strategies, strengthening education programs, and proposing innovative measures to eliminate discrimination from football.
“I am honored to serve in this role,” Weah said after the appointment. “I will always exert all efforts, as I have done in the past and continue to do, to promote the sport because football is life.”
Weah’s inclusion carries both symbolic and practical weight. Not only is he the only African ever to win the Ballon d’Or (1995), but he also endured racial abuse during his playing career in Europe. His rise from football stardom with Monaco, Paris Saint-Germain, and AC Milan to becoming Liberia’s 24th president makes him a unique figure who bridges sport and statesmanship. His leadership role, FIFA believes, will add greater visibility and authority to the campaign.
Alongside Weah, the panel includes some of football’s most celebrated figures: Didier Drogba (Ivory Coast), Emmanuel Adebayor (Togo), Briana Scurry (USA), Mercy Akide (Nigeria), Iván Córdoba (Colombia), Khalilou Fadiga (Senegal), Formiga (Brazil), Jessica Houara (France), Maia Jackman (New Zealand), Sun Jihai (China), Blaise Matuidi (France), Aya Miyama (Japan), Lotta Schelin (Sweden), Mikaël Silvestre (France), and Juan Pablo Sorín (Argentina).
FIFA President Gianni Infantino underlined the significance of the new panel. “These 16 panel members will support education at all levels of the game and promote new ideas for lasting change,” he said. “Let’s be clear on this: racism and discrimination are not simply wrong , they are crimes. All incidents of racism, whether in stadiums or online, must be fully punished both by football and across society.”
The announcement comes in the wake of FIFA issuing sanctions against six federations, including Argentina, after racist and discriminatory incidents during World Cup qualifiers in June 2024.
This is not FIFA’s first attempt at such an initiative. In 2013, the organization launched an anti-racism task force that featured players like Yaya Touré and Jozy Altidore. However, the group was disbanded under Infantino’s leadership in 2016, a decision widely criticized as a setback. The newly structured Players’ Voice Panel is intended to restore momentum, this time with a stronger framework and direct player involvement.
Weah’s appointment as honorary captain highlights his stature as both Africa’s most celebrated footballer and a former head of state. His lived experience of racial abuse, combined with his global influence, gives him a central role in a renewed global push to ensure that football is not just played fairly, but lived fairly.
