Monrovia – The President of the Liberia Football Association, Musa Bility, has resigned as Chairman of FIFA Task force to Sierra Leone three months after his appointment to the committee.
Report by Christopher Walker – [email protected]
It was set up to restore football activities in the West African nation.
Bility was appointed by FIFA in early September of 2017 to lead a five-man FIFA Integrity Task Force for Sierra Leone with a mandate to carryout integrity tests on all potential candidates in the forthcoming SLFA election and bring about peace and unity to Sierra Leonean football after a year of football crisis.
Other members appointed to the Committee are FIFA Director of Member Associations Veron Mosengo Omba, FIFA Manager of Development Programs for Africa Solomon Mudege and Sierra Leone Football Association representative Drucil Taylor.
Upon his appointment to head the Special Task Force, Bility told FrontPage Africa that his appointment was an indication that he is a clean and powerful man in both FIFA and CAF and cannot be touch.
He also told BBC after his returned from Sierra Leone, that he was optimistic peace will return to Sierra Leone’s Football Association (SLFA).
He said the visit to Freetown has given hope for a resolution to the deep divisions between the SLFA executive committee and aggrieved stakeholders.
“I’m very glad to report that we’ve met all parties in Sierra Leone and they have now agreed on a comprehensive peace process that has set up a road map that will lead to elections.
“Agreement has been signed to this effect. This includes the government of Sierra Leone, the SLFA, and the aggrieved stakeholders along with Fifa. Everybody is on board and we are ready to achieve total peace and stability in Sierra Leone football,” Bility said.
But a letter in FrontPage Africa possession dated December 1, 2017 signed by Musa Bility President of the Liberian FA states that Bility has resigned his position and communicated with the President of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Ahmad Ahmad.
“Mr. President, due to my very busy schedule which is making it very difficult to focus on the situation in Sierra Leone, I wish to request your good offices to kindly accept my resignation as Chairman of the FIFA Taskforce on Sierra Leone with immediate effect,” he wrote.
“It is my hope that I have laid the foundation that lead to the resolution of this crisis as soon as possible.” Bility said in his letter of resignation.”
He told FrontPage that he took the decision because of his engagement with the Liberian election and feels he will not function well as head of the committee.
It can be recalled that Bility early September announced his vice President for administration Musa Shannon as the acting President of the LFA due to what he called his involvement with both CAF and FIFA.
After nearly a year of the new Fifa’s involvement, a mediation team led by Bility made several recommendations to help resolve the ongoing stalemate after concluding its findings.
It is now uncertain whether the communiqué that was issued which restructured the roadmap to heal the bitter and protracted rift in the game after a two-day visit led by Bility, will be followed by the new Chairman.
The power struggle over the running of football in Sierra Leone deteriorated after the FA’s Congress in March was postponed unexpectedly in 2015.
Meanwhile, the SLFA boss Isha Johansen, and her Secretary General Chris Kamara were both ordered by Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) to step aside following their charges of abuse of office and public funds.
Both denied any wrongdoing, the case is ongoing. The SLFA in November released a statement sacking Christopher Abdul Kamara as secretary general of FA.
Senegal’s FA boss, Augustine Senghor is expected to take over from Bility.
The controversial LFA President is presently under investigation by the investigatory chamber of FIFA Ethics Committee, FrontPageAfrican Understands.
Bility is under serious pressure from stakeholders in the country for his latest revelation to first, second and Female Clubs Presidents in the country that US$600,000 was discovered by the international auditors that the FA cannot account for.
He told the Clubs Presidents that LFA Treasurer Jallah Corvah admitted sending fake accounts documentation to FIFA.
He said he had not signed the documentation sent to FIFA claiming that his signature had been forged.