CAF hold back support for Musa Bility’s FIFA presidency bid

The Confederation of African Football have refused to back Liberian Football Association president Musa Bility in his bid to become FIFA president.

The 48-year-old is one of four men to have expressed their interest in standing in next year’s election to replace Sepp Blatter. Brazilian Zico, Frenchman Michel Platini and South Korean Chung Mong-joon are the other names in the frame to stand in the February 26 election.

Bility is only the second African ever to make a bid for the job but he won’t be getting the support of his federation who backed Issa Hayatou’s failed bid in the past.

“The CAF executive committee decided unanimously not to give Musa Bility the support he requested,” a CAF statement said on Thursday.

“It advised him of this, wishing him good luck in his mission.”

The Liberian has had a difficult relationship with CAF in recent years.

In 2011 Bility declared he would vote against Blatter in that year’s FIFA elections, in contrast to most of his African colleagues.

And in 2012 he – and the Liberian FA – took a case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport over changes to the way CAF elects its president, which favoured incumbent Issa Hayatou.