FIFA Taps Weah to Lead Global Anti-Racism Players’ Panel

Published: September 5, 2025

MONROVIA — Former Liberian President and Ballon d’Or winner George Weah has been appointed by FIFA to chair a new global panel of ex-footballers that will advise on anti-racism strategies across the sport.

The 16-member Players’ Voice Panel features big names including Didier Drogba, Emmanuel Adebayor, and Briana Scurry, the U.S. goalkeeper who helped win the 1999 Women’s World Cup. FIFA described the body as both a watchdog and a think tank, tasked with guiding initiatives, monitoring progress, and promoting education “at all levels of the game.”

Weah, named honorary captain of the group, said he was honored to continue serving the sport that defined much of his life.

“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 told FIFA.

The announcement comes just days after FIFA sanctioned six federations — including reigning World Cup champion Argentina — for racist or discriminatory behavior by fans during June qualifiers.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino first promised the panel in May 2024, urging all 211 member associations to prosecute and sanction racism more effectively. The move revives efforts once championed by FIFA’s 2013 anti-racism task force, which was scrapped in 2016 under Infantino’s leadership. That earlier initiative was formed after AC Milan’s Kevin-Prince Boateng walked off the field in protest of racist abuse.

Weah, who starred for Monaco, Paris Saint-Germain and AC Milan before entering politics, now joins a diverse lineup of players spanning continents and eras. The full panel includes:

• George Weah (Liberia)
• Emmanuel Adebayor (Togo)
• Mercy Akide (Nigeria)
• Ivan Cordoba (Colombia)
• Didier Drogba (Ivory Coast)
• Khalilou Fadiga (Senegal)
• Formiga (Brazil)
• Jessica Houara (France)
• Maia Jackman (New Zealand)
• Sun Jihai (China PR)
• Blaise Matuidi (France)
• Aya Miyama (Japan)
• Lotta Schelin (Sweden)
• Briana Scurry (United States)
• Mikael Silvestre (France)
• Juan Pablo Sorin (Argentina)

With Weah at the helm, FIFA hopes the panel will amplify player voices and inject fresh urgency into the sport’s fight against racism and discrimination.