Liberia’s President –Elect George Weah, is more known for what he did in Europe than his skills in Africa. There is an exception: Heartland of Owerri[ then known as Iwuanyanwu Nationale] will forever remember what the hitherto unknown boy from Monrovia did in the Second Round of the CAF Champions League 30years ago.
Nationale’s continental debut in 1988, started on a fine note as they thrashed Requins Atlantique of Benin Republic home and away in the First Round. Then came Tonnerre Kalara of Cameroun. The first leg in Owerri favoured the hosts 2-0.
Nationale flew out for the return leg through Lagos to Douala. Club Chairman, Prince Lemmy Akakem, hates flying. When the team was to continue the trip to Yaounde in a Fokker 28, he became nervy. Eventually a bigger aircraft, BAC 11, was hired.
The Owerri team did not care that four years earlier, in the same competition, in the same round, at the same venue, against the same team and in the same month of May, Tonnerre had cancelled Shooting Stars’ first leg four goals advantage.
It was a miracle that the Oluyole Warriors advanced on 5-6 penalties. Club Chairman , Chief Lekan Salami, did not know how he found himself in the loo after the Cameroonians put in the fourth goal. He called it ‘Soccer Shocker’. Some supporters corrupted it to Shoccer Socker’.
Against Iwuanyanwu, history almost repeated itself. Fifteen minutes into the game, Weah had scored twice to put Tonnerre two goals ahead. Akakem, an Orji- Owerri Prince, who grew up in Lagos, screamed: “Egba mi oo![Yoruba for save me].
His team paraded some of the best in the land at the time. Edward Ansa, Thompson Oliha, Friday Ekpo, James Etokebe, Uwem Ekarika, Goddy and Uwakwe Eke, Andrew Uwe, Toyin Ayinla, John Benson, Peter Nieketien, Samson Ozogula, Etta Egbe, Law Ukegbu and Skipper Mike Obi among others. Coach was Dmitris Theophanis, a Greek.
Tonnerre also forgot that the Nigerians were first known as Spartans. War raged, the visitors came on strong. They fought back and at the end of battle, scores stood at 3-2 for the hosts. That was a good result, the Nigerians qualified for the Quarter- finals 4-3 aggregate.
That was George Weah’s last match for an African club side for in the crowd was Arsene Wenger, coach of French elite side, Monaco. He flew in to take the Liberian away after compatriot, Claude Le Roy, Manager of the Cameroonian national selection, The Indomitable Lions, had urged him to come grab the hot shot. At the end of the game Weah was in the air, direct to France.
From Monaco[1988-92] to Paris St. Germain[1992-95], AC Milan [1995-2000], Chelsea [2000], Manchester City [2000], Marseille [2000-01] then to Al Jazira [2001-03], Weah became a household name globally.
The hit man capped it all in 1995 when he was voted FIFA World Player of the Year. CAF also picked him as African Footballer of the Year,1995, his Third time, having won previously in 1989 and 1994, respectively. For a man who neither played in the World Cup nor the Africa Nations Cup, this is remarkable.
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The story of George Weah is instructive. A man’s beginning does not always define his future. His Dad, William, was a mechanic and his mother, Anne, a street hawker. He barely finished Secondary education and once worked as a telephone operator.
Weah played for the big Monrovia clubs: Invincible Eleven[IE] and Mighty Barrolle. He played in Cote D’Ivoire for Africa Sports. Many others before and after him followed similar route but did not achieve as much as the Kru boy from South –East Liberia.
One big name in Liberian soccer before Weah was Washington Blay, Skipper of the National team. Players like James Salinsa Debbah, Simon Mattar, Kai Jerbo, Jonathan Sogbie [Boye Charles], Kelvin Sebwe and Ezekiel Doe played in Europe and America.
Keepers Pewu Bestman, Momoh Blamo, and stars like Alex Theo, Joe Nagbe, Ben Seydee, William Doe and Nyema ‘Tigana’ Collins did all they could for the Lone Stars. Zion Joseph and Keith ‘ Babe’ Jinlack even came over to Nigeria trying to be famous. They remained local champions.
However, names sometimes matter. Weah’s poor father bore the first name of two of Liberia’s Presidents: William Tubman and William Tolbert. The top footballer was also nicknamed ‘King George’ in Europe. Today , he is President of Liberia.
Weah was born in Clara town, Monrovia on October 1, 1966, the day Nigeria clocked six as an independent nation. Little wonder his wife is Clar and in October 2017, Weah was in Nigeria where Pastor T.B. Joshua asked Senator Yormie Johnson to support the soccer star’s presidential bid.
