Fact Check: How Much Did George Weah’s Administration Allocate in Nat’l Budget for Football?

In Summary

• A Facebook user, James Samuel Goodday Flomo, has claimed that former President George Weah budgeted only US$50,000 for the Liberia Football Association (LFA) in almost every year of his presidency.

• However, a review of Liberia’s national budget documents from FY2018/2019 to FY2023 shows that football funding was captured under the Ministry of Youth and Sports’ “Transfer to National Football” line.

• The data indicates that actual spending on national football ranged from US$150,000 to over US$1 million in different fiscal years, far above the amount cited in the claim. We therefore rate the claim as misleading.

James Samuel Goodday Flomo, a Liberian residing in Portland, claimed in a Facebook post on May 30 that former President George Weah budgeted US$50,000 to the Liberia Football Association (LFA) in almost every fiscal year during his tenure as President of Liberia.

Flomo made the claim in response to ongoing social media discussions about Weah’s contribution to Liberia’s national football team, both during his playing career and while serving as president.

Flomo’s post was a direct response to comments made by former Liberian international footballer Anthony S. Laffor. Laffor had argued that although Weah was never a Sports Minister or LFA President, he provided significant support to many Liberian footballers, including himself and former national team player Ben Teekloh.

The debate emerged amid claims by some social media users and former players of the National team that the former football legend and former Liberian president did little to support the national team during his years as a player and later as head of state.

The Claim

An excerpt of Flomo’s post reads: “Weah budget[ed] $50K to the LFA almost every budget year. Do you think this can improve a football association?”

Rating Justification

To verify the claim, we reviewed Liberia’s National Budget documents from FY2018/2019 through FY2023, covering the years of the George Weah administration. We specifically examined government spending on national football programs.

Our review found that the Liberia Football Association, or LFA, is generally not listed as a standalone spending entity in the national budget. Instead, football-related funding is typically captured under the Ministry of Youth and Sports, particularly under budget line 263402 – Transfer to National Football.

Football Budget Allotment_Weah Admin

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A review of expenditures under this budget line shows the following allocations from 2018 to 2023:

These figures indicate that government spending on national football in every budget year during the Weah administration consistently exceeded the US$50,000 amount cited in the claim. The Weah administration spent more than US$3 million on national football during its six-year tenure.

Conclusion

Based on these findings, we conclude that the claim made by Flomo that former President Weah budgeted US$50,000.00 to the Liberia Football Association almost every budget year during his tenure as President of Liberia is misleading.

While LFA is generally not presented as a standalone spending entity in the national budget, expenditure made for each budget year during the Weah administration towards National Football exceeded $140,000, reaching up to $1 million dollars, totaling more than US$3 million in six years.