‘WE HOPE THAT HE COMES OUT CLEAN’ -Deputy Youth and Sports Minister Hopeful of Bility’s FIFA Legal Challenge
Monrovia – Deputy Youth and Sports Minister Andy Quamie says he will be glad if former Liberia Football Association president Musa Bility ‘comes out clean’ in his legal challenge against the world governing body of football, Fifa.
Mr. Bility was banned for 10 years and fined US$500,000 by Fifa for breaching its code of ethics.
According to FIFA, the former LFA boss was found “guilty of misappropriating Fifa funds, as well as receiving benefits and found himself in a situations of conflict of interest,” following a forensic audit of the LFA.
The misappropriation of Fifa’s funds relates to those granted under the global body’s campaign that saw top football stars promoting Ebola awareness measures in November 2014 during the height of the epidemic that killed more than 11,000 people across Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea and as part of its Financial Assistance Program.
Mr. Bility felt bitter about what he terms as the “co-operation agreement” between Caf and Fifa.
In his communication, he frowned on the agreement that would see Fifa Secretary-General, Fatma Samoura works with Caf as a “General Delegate to Africa” and complaint to CAS seeking to make the agreement “null and void with immediate effect”.
Speaking at the LFA headquarters, Minister Quamie said Mr. Bility is Liberia’s ‘only shining star’ at Caf, who is an Executive Committee member.
The Deputy Youth and Sports Minister further said, though the former LFA boss is having problem but hope that he is exonerated from the probe.
“Musa Bility is our only shining star to become executive committee member but today he’s having some problems with Fifa.
“Even though, he said he will challenge it, we happy that he challenges it and he can come out clean for Liberia and be exonerated from this trouble. So that Liberia through him, the rest of us can survive and Liberia can shine again,” Minister Quamie said.
In Bility’s official response following the banned, He promised to challenge the decision through a legal means and exonerate himself from the accusation.
He accused Fifa of selective judgment where people who have committed worst offenses are not banned.
“I have requested my legal team to delve into this matter expeditiously with a view to challenge this decision by the ethics committee through all available channels.” “Let me reiterate my commitment to exonerate myself of these spurious accusations,” he added.