Football legend and former President of the Republic of Liberia leads 16-strong Players' Voice Panel (PVP) comprising legends of the game
George Weah: "Racism is a disease. We cannot continue to condone racism in public spaces, most especially on the field where everybody is supposed to be working together"
PVP gathered physically for the first time in Rabat, Morocco
Football icon George Weah has called on football fans to "forget about calling each other names and embrace each other" as part of the fight to rid football of racism during a two-day session of the FIFA Players' Voice Panel (PVP) in Rabat, Morocco.
Established under one of the five pillars of FIFA's Global Stand Against Racism - which was unanimously adopted by the 211 FIFA Member Associations at the 74th FIFA Congress in Bangkok, Thailand, on 17 May 2024 - the PVP is a 16-strong group comprising legends of the men's and women's game who are fully committed to bringing an end to racism in football.
"What I came here to do is for the world to know that there is no need for racism. We must enjoy the beautiful game, walk together in the stadium, sing together and when we are defeated, we try again. This is what the game is about - enjoy it," said former Liberia international forward Weah, who served as President of the Republic of Liberia for six years between 2018 and 2024 and is the PVP's honorary captain. "I think what is important is for us to forget about calling each other names and embrace each other and make friends - that's what the world is all about. War is no good. Racism is a disease. We cannot continue to condone racism in public spaces, most especially on the field where everybody is supposed to be working together, enjoying together, [so] have fun, enjoy the good of the game."
Weah, who won numerous honours during a playing career in which he starred for the likes of AS Monaco, Paris Saint-Germain and AC Milan, added: "I want to thank FIFA President Gianni Infantino for putting me on this team. I think it's important for the role that I play in society. As a former footballer and then former leader of the Republic of Liberia, my voice is critical because I played the game; I experienced racism during my time. So, I thought I'm one of the players who will be in a position to say, "No" to racism."
The workshop was chaired by Mr Weah, and included FIFA President Gianni Infantino who provided the closing remarks. FIFA Secretary General Mattias Grafström, Chief Football Officer Jill Ellis and Deputy Chief Member Associations Officer Gelson Fernandes together with other members of the FIFA Administration were also in attendance.
"The cause that brings us together here is definitely the most important cause that we need to fight for and attack in the right way. And we can do that only if we are working all together, only as a team can we win," said President Infantino addressing the PVP. "We have been talking enough, now we have to act. Of course, it is not easy and sometimes it's easier not to say something and just to accept what is happening and move on. But that time is over."
He added: "You have done great work in the last two days. We are continuing this work together. This is the beginning of our actions, and let's make sure that our voice, that your voice, the players' voice is heard."
The session followed in the wake of a number of discussions held since the PVP was announced in September 2025, but marked the first time members of the panel had gathered physically having staged previous meetings online.
Mercy Akide (Nigeria), Iván Córdoba (Colombia), Khalilou Fadiga (Senegal), Jessica Houara (France), Maia Jackman (New Zealand), Lotta Schelin (Sweden) and Mikael Silvestre (France) were the PVP members who joined Mr Weah in Rabat.
Hailing from 14 FIFA Member Associations and representing all six confederations, the PVP's mission is to monitor and advise on anti-racism strategies, participate in educational initiatives and provide input for reforms.
PVP members were updated on activations undertaken by panel members across all five action areas of FIFA's Global Stand against Racism, notably at youth level where there is a particular focus on player education. Former Argentina international Juan Pablo Sorín became the first PVP member to speak to young players about racism at a tournament when he made a presentation to the Argentina squad at the FIFA Under-20 World Cup™ in Chile in October this year, while educational sessions have also been held by PVP members with teams at the ongoing FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup 2025™ in Morocco and FIFA U-17 World Cup 2025™ in Qatar.
The PVP also took the opportunity to speak to representatives of all six confederations, received progress updates on the five pillars of FIFA's Global Stand Against Racism and also looked at the operational plan for 2026 and 2027 before attending the FIFA Under-17 Women's World Cup 2025 final between Korea DPR and the Netherlands.
"So many people around the world leave from one point to another point, to watch a group of people exemplify what football really means: it is peace, it is love, it is fun; I experienced that. I experienced the love, the peace. And also, what we're trying to do is to kick racism out of sports. It's not good for sports. So, this is the effort we're making to make sure that we all universally fight," said Weah, who paid tribute to FIFA's anti-racism initiatives led by President Infantino.
"So much has changed, simply because of the diversity. And it is diversity that's making FIFA what it is. We have a strong leader - a strong President - [Gianni] Infantino, who listens to everybody, and that's the picture that we're fighting for. He listens to everybody, so everybody needs to be on board so we can make this ship. In a ship, we're a family sailing towards prosperity, solidarity, and peace - it's important."
