By Ledgerhood Rennie BBC Sport, Monrovia

Weah captained Liberia to their first Nations Cup showing in 1996

George Weah's bid to become the next president of the Liberian Football Association (LFA) was triggered by the "deplorable" state of the game in the country.

Addressing top officials of Liberia's league clubs in Monrovia, Weah said he felt compelled to do something to save Liberian football.

He said: "With my contribution to world football, I can't just sit down and allow Liberian football to go down the drain."

I can't just sit down and allow Liberian football to go down the drain George Weah

"I'm vying for the LFA presidency because I believe I can help in the process of developing the youth through sport."

Weah expressed his desire to work with all stakeholders in Liberian football and asked them to support his ambitions.

Pennoh Bestman, head of the Club Presidents Committee, immediately pledged to support Weah's bid.

The next LFA elections are scheduled for October 2005 but some club officials want to push for early polls through a petition to the executive committee of the LFA.

However, Weah's bid could be thwarted by a clause in the LFA statutes which state that only an individual who has served as a president of a registered club for at least two years can seek election to the top post.

But Josiah Johnson, a veteran football administrator, described the clause as "discriminatory" and urged the clubs to seek an amendment to the statutes.

"We can't allow this rule to stop the development of the game here," he said.