Liberia row over ex-football boss's political career

A controversy has broken out in Liberia over the decision of a leading opposition political party to elect as its chairman a former football association official who was banned for breaching the code of ethics.

Musa Hassan Bility, once head of the Liberia Football Association, was slapped with a 10-year Fifa ban and fined $500,000 (£365,000) in 2019. The international football governing body found Mr Bility guilty of misappropriating Fifa funds.

An influential petroleum importer and dealer, Mr Bility was elected unopposed as chairman of the Liberty Party at its convention last weekend.

His election has dominated radio discussions in the capital, Monrovia, for days, with callers lashing out at the party for choosing a man they say has a tainted character internationally.

Efforts to get Mr Bility on phone for comment failed. A party spokesperson, Daniel Sando, said the criticism was a conspiracy by the ruling party and said the Liberty Party was unapologetic for electing Mr Bility.

After the Fifa ban was announced, Mr Bility said he was going to challenge the decision at the Court of Arbitration for Sports. It is not clear how the case has proceeded since then.

This article originally appeared on BBC News

Photo: AFP