Liberian football great George Weah and Sierra Leonean soccer player Michael Lahoud, who come from countries hard hit by Ebola, are helping raise awareness about the deadly disease.
The 48-year-old Weah recently returned from Ghana where he recorded an anti-Ebola song with his friend, musician Barima Sidney.
Weah told VOA he thought music was a great way to get the message out in the fight against Ebola.
In the song, the 1995 World, African and European Player of the Year talks about how Ebola is transmitted and how people can protect themselves from the disease.
Meanwhile, 28-year-old Michael Lahoud, a midfielder for Sierra Leone’s national team and Major League Soccer’s Philadelphia Union club, is leading an online, social media campaign with the hashtag #KickEbolaInTheButt.
The campaign is modeled after the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, which raised more than $100 million for the neurodegenerative disorder also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.
Sierra Leone’s Michael Lahoud (blue uniform) leaps for the ball in a Nations Cup qualifying match in Abdijan, Ivory Coast. Photo: Reuters
#KickEbolaInTheButt encourages people to post video of themselves kicking a ball off a partner’s rear end. Donations go to Doctors Without Borders, which has been active in west Africa helping treat Ebola patients.
Lahoud says he was motivated by the prejudice and harsh treatment that Sierra Leone’s team received from opposing fans during 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying matches last month.
My friend David Legge, African football writer for Agence France-Presse, says footballers have a very special place in the hearts of all Africans. And he salutes Weah and Lahoud for their efforts in the fight against Ebola.
Thank you Weah, thank you Lahoud. Because of you and other good people like you, Liberia, Sierra Leone and the rest of West Africa will win this epic game against Ebola.
And thank you, too, Sonny for bringing the efforts of these great guys to the fore!
Thanks for checking in, Segun, and, as always, more grease to your sporty elbows in Lagos!