Liberia: FIFA-banned Musa Bility Wins Parliamentary Election

Musa Hassan Bility, the former president of the Liberia Football Association (LFA), has been elected to the parliament of Liberia, the National Elections Commission (NEC) has declared.

Bility, who is serving a 10-year FIFA ban, was elected as a Representive of District #7 in Nimba County, the second-most populated county in Liberia.

The NEC announced Bility as the winner on Wednesday, October 18. He received 10,003 votes, constituting 35.86 percent of the 27,897 valid votes cast. 

Bility was banned from all football activities for 10 years by FIFA’s Ethics Committee in 2019 following an investigation into the finances of the LFA.

Bility was found guilty by FIFA’s Ethics Committee after he was unable to provide an explanation for the use of funds designated by FIFA to save lives during the Ebola outbreak in Liberia.

Bility, a former member of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Executive Committee, had expressed disapproval of FIFA’s move to become more involved in the management of African football prior to his ban.

Bility filed an appeal with the Lausanne, Switzerland-based Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) later in 2023. Regretfully, Bility’s 10-year ban from FIFA and the €455,000 ($500,000) fine were upheld by CAS. 

Bility will spend the next six years in the House of Representatives fulfilling his new role as a parliamentarian. Together with the Senate, the House of Representatives makes up the Legislature of Liberia, the lower house of the country’s bicameral legislative branch.