World football governing body, FIFA has banned the former head of the Liberian Football Association and executive member of Confederation of African Football Musa Hassan Bility from football for 10 years alongside a fine of $507,000, citing corruption, including misuse of funds intended for an Ebola awareness campaign and “conflict of interests” as reasons.
An investigation targeted at Bility was launched in May 2018 concerning the “misappropriation of the funds granted under FIFA’s ’11 against Ebola’ campaign,” according to FIFA’s independent ethics committee.
The Ebola campaign was initiated in 2014 and had football stars promoting awareness measures against the pandemic which had ravaged over 11,000 lives across Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea.
FIFA also said it discovered Bility (who had attempted running for office to replace Sepp Blatter but was barred after failing integrity tests) was guilty of misusing other resources sent to Liberia’s FA alongside diverting money to businesses controlled by him or his family.
The apex body in charge of Football around the world reportedly released the detailed verdict of Bility’s case almost immediately after issuing the ban, unlike past ethics cases that took months.
Earlier in the week, Bility had described the appointment of Fatma Samoura, FIFA’s Secretary-General, as a FIFA General Delegate for Africa as “illegal and an attempt by the world governing body to meddle in the affairs of CAF,” and threatened to have the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) find the ‘cooperation agreement’ between CAF and FIFA of no effect.
He had alleged the agreement to let Samoura spearhead the affairs of CAF was a leeway to hide CAF President, Ahmad Ahmad’s sins.
“It is clear to me, and many others, that the cooperation agreement, as currently structured, has the sole purpose of shielding and cleansing CAF President Ahmad Ahmad from the crimes he has committed – financial impropriety, sexual harassment, and nepotism – since his ascension to the Presidency,” he said.
On Wednesday, BBC’s Osasu Obayiuwana reported Bility’s lawyer Paolo TOrchetti had taken a step to make the threat of former LFA’s head, flesh and blood by filing a case against CAF and FIFA at the Court of Arbitration for Sports on Tuesday.
Busybuddies understands Bility’s legal counsel is aware of FIFA’s decision and is currently examining the verdict.
