The player no one dares to face

Liberian President George Wia is an international footballer and still plays from time to time in the match on Saturday, according to BBC reporter Mike Thompson, invited by the presidential palace to attend a football game in which the opposing players seemed hesitant against the President.

The call was a surprise one morning and we were told: "The president's car is waiting outside, she is waiting for you and you will have to see a football match."

I was not used to receiving an invitation to watch the heads of state play football, but this call was not a surprise. Former FIFA World Player George Wea, currently head of Liberia, was supposed to be in Madagascar and plans seem to have changed.

After eating a quick piece of bread, we are quick to make our way through the active city of Monrovia before reaching the Ministry of Defense.

I wondered if the driver had gone astray. But as soon as we passed the security gates, there was a big football stadium behind the gray building.

He was one of the first players to be seen by this medium-sized man, wearing black shorts and a 14-inch sports shirt.

"I am the best evasive"

After being moved back and forth, with no signs of fatigue, he said a member of his team.

"His Excellency has the ball, he will score a goal, my God, what happens."

Former AC Milan player, Chelsea and Monaco, he became president of Liberia.

I wondered when watching the football match, why is a local team player of former professional players not trying to face George Weah, who is less than before?

I went to the presidential cabin during the break between the two halves of the match and I asked the man himself if it was by presidential decree.

He answered quickly: "No no no."

"They are scared because I am the best player and they try, they will hurt," he said.

His words may be true, but a few minutes later, his former coach, Christopher Werih, proposed a different interpretation.

"No one is going to face him," he confided, proudly confirming that the team had not lost a match.

That explains why President George Wia, 52, remains the team's top scorer. The result of the match was a 3-0 victory over the opponent.

Engage an audience?

My second meeting with the president is scheduled to discuss the situation after his first year in office, four days after the match.

The meeting was held at 11:30 local time and became 12:30, then 13:30 until 14:30 with no sign indicating the presence of the President.

Eventually, Wia, dressed in a white jacket and pants, walked into the room and said, "Gentlemen, it's lunch time."

Here, my intrepid photographer, Phil Darley, seemed nervous, although the reason was that it was not the meeting, but less than three hours before his flight to London.

But he understood that as we hopped into a car in a procession of 10 cars to the president's favorite restaurant.

We arrived a few minutes later in a modest body near the city center, and a crowd of fans gathered the fan shouting slogans.

Is it a crowd of tenants or a sign of the president's popularity after a year of power? It's hard to confirm.

Lunch ended after an hour and a half and our long procession returned to the streets of the city.

She finally started meeting me with the president after a brief discussion about the taste of Liberian food.

Presidential Guard

I asked him how he saw his first year in office. Why do not some of his ministers declare their financial responsibility up to now? And what happened with the waste of more than $ 100 million of public funds?

The president seemed uncomfortable with these issues, which caused indigestion.

At the end of the meeting, we asked when we would go to our country. The photographer Phil, who was now looking scared, replied, "In less than an hour.

"The man needs a car right now."

While one of the highest officials in the company called this one, Phil rushed aboard another security vehicle and at the airport while the lights went off. again extinguished.

It is always said that the master's work is successful, but you will not hear about it from an elephant.

Despite the speed of the launch and the warning whistles to catch the plane, he still left behind.

Even for George Wia, there are clear limits to the powers of the president.