George Weah, the president of Liberia, has informed the senate that he intends to watch the World Cup in Qatar for nine days.
Former football player Mr. Weah travelled abroad last week for a number of visits, though not all of them have been made public.
His son Timothy, an American, will be a member of the US team at the World Cup competition, which begins on November 20.
George Weah played for elite European teams including Chelsea and AC Milan.
The 56-year-old changed careers and was chosen as Liberia’s president in 2017.
Many Liberians are upset over the President’s planned international trip, and some of them have taken to social media and radio call-in shows to criticise him.
They contend that the president would be unkind to travel to Qatar at a time when many people are struggling with a dire food shortage and there is uncertainty surrounding the conduct of the long-delayed population count, which Mr. Weah just delayed for the sixth time.
The president’s staff has retaliated against his detractors, claiming that his foreign trips will “return big dividends” for the nation (despite the fact that they haven’t answered to inquiries about the trip’s cost).
