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10/08/2005:

"Yanna-boys v Book-men: George Weah ready for his biggest match"

George Weah has been on the campaign trail for weeks, and the retired footballer who would be president of war-ravaged Liberia looks exhausted.
The convoy of four-wheel-drive cars tells the story of the journey. After setting out from the capital Monrovia last Friday with 32 vehicles, his campaign team bumped back towards the city yesterday in just five mud-spattered cars.

At a rest stop in the town of Ganta, Mr Weah clambered down from his car and walked wearily to a wooden bench in the shade. "I'm very optimistic," he said. "I want to bring the basic necessities. Light, water and education. And I can see there's a need for roads."

With a small population - 3.3 million - and an abundance of resources, Liberia ought to be an African gem. But decades of bad government and a protracted civil war have left it one of the poorest countries in the world.
After sunset, the heart of Liberia's capital is shrouded in darkness. In the dazzle of car headlights, prostitutes dance on street corners to lure customers and UN armoured cars gleam ghostly white.

The man who promises to bring light to this darkness, Mr Weah, 39, is a former world footballer of the year who grew up in a hut on reclaimed swampland in Monrovia. He is favourite to win Tuesday's presidential vote.

"Liberians are ready to move the country forward," Mr Weah told the Guardian, flanked by security men in camouflage gear. "We need stability, to reassure the world that we are ready to move forward.

"My career does not make much difference. I'm a human being that has contributed to my society."

The super-rich sports star had witnessed extreme poverty on his journey through Liberia's rainforest-clad interior. He had seen first hand the dirt roads where treacherous orange mud sucks at car tyres. On Thursday night, he slept in his car because the convoy had been unable to reach the nearest town.

"We live in Monrovia and think everything is OK, but our people in the hinterland are catching a hard time. I experienced that myself in the 1970s. Our people are still living in huts, in a country that has the resources. At least, we can get low-cost housing for our people."

Football was the springboard out of poverty for Mr Weah, who was brought up by his grandmother. He started with local teams like Young Survivor and Invincible XI, then moved to Cameroon where the national squad's coach recommended him to Arsène Wenger, then coach of Monaco.

Mr Weah became a star, playing for a string of Europe's most prestigious clubs, including AC Milan and Chelsea.

But he was more than just a sportsman. He personally funded the Liberia team through an African Nations Cup campaign and became a goodwill ambassador for Unicef, returning to Liberia to encourage child soldiers to lay down their arms.

Two former presidents of Liberia have been murdered and a third lives in exile. Mr Weah is conscious of the danger he faces. "When it comes to African politics, everyone that runs for the highest office faces danger," he said. "Life is a risk, and I'm taking a risk for my people. Anybody would be afraid. I have a beautiful life, and I'm putting it on the line for my people."

The retired footballer lives in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, with his American wife and three children. He also has a four-bedroom house in Monrovia, where he keeps a silver Porsche Boxster.

His wealth provokes admiration rather than jealousy. Dayton Sei Boe, 32, an official with his Congress for Democratic Change party, said fondly: "The young man is a star, and stars love big cars."

Some believe his wealth and celebrity make him immune from the corruption which was rampant under Liberia's past leaders. In Ganta's marketplace, Madison Morpue, 21, a trader, said: "I will vote for George Weah because he has money of his own, and our money will be safe."

Liberia's election is a contest of the Yanna-boys and the book-men. The Yanna-boys are street traders, who overwhelmingly back Mr Weah. The book-men, the educated class, prefer Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, 66, a former World Bank economist. If elected, she will be Africa's first female head of state.
guardian.co.uk