By Paul Nicholson
September 6 – Musa Bility’s controversial and protracted reign as president of the Liberia Football Association (LFA) will officially come to end this weekend with Mustapha Raji (pictured) being crowned new head of the LFA.
Saturday would have seen the re-run of the LFA’s presidential election that was dramatically suspended in April after the first round of voting when a court order was issued questioning the eligibility of Musa Shannon to stand, he was already a serving LFA vice president. Now Shannon has pulled out of the election race.
In an LFA communication to stakeholders, Bility said: “I have just been informed by the secretary general that Mr. Musa Shannon has withdrawn from the upcoming presidential election. With this information, I wish to inform you that the process of transition will start immediately.”
Bility said that all decisions at the LFA between now and Raji taking office were being made with the full knowledge of the incoming president.
The election of Bility’s successor was a fraught political process with allegations of election fraud and questions over the eligibility of both Shannon (who had previously admitted taking $1,500 from funds FIFA sent to the LFA for Ebola assistance) and Raji, who is the candidate the country’s new president and former footballer George Weah favoured.
Raji was deemed ineligible because he lacks a Bachelor of Science degree, a requirement in the LFA’s rules at that time for contesting for the presidency.
FIFA stepped in and demanded that the case be taken out of the hands of the courts and that the LFA review the constitution. An extraordinary congress changed the rule so that presidential candidates only needed a high school diploma to stand for the presidency, and that there would be a new election rather than a run-off between Shannon and Raji.
With both cleared to stand for election, that vote would have taken place this Saturday.
Nigerian Raji, who is the president of LISCR FC, prior to the April election had significant government support with Weah dispatching government officials to lobby for him. Parliamentary representative Muna Pelham Youngblood, a close and increasingly controversial political confidant of President George Weah, met the Women Football Club Presidents at their Camp Johnson road headquarters informing them that she was on a mission from the President with a direct mandate telling them to vote for Raji.
She said that Weah would not work with any of the others contesting the elections.
With Weah having come under criticism in Liberia for having awarded his former coach when he played in Monaco, Arsene Wenger, the country’s top honour, it seems that the days of grace and favour within the LFA might not be entirely over.
The proof will ultimately be in the actions of Raji and whether the LFA can make progress towards expanding its leagues, teams and grassroots football, or whether Raji is in effect just another political placement and a vote to be counted on at FIFA in the run-up to next year’s FIFA presidential election.
Contact the writer of this story at moc.l1735060485labto1735060485ofdlr1735060485owedi1735060485sni@n1735060485osloh1735060485cin.l1735060485uap1735060485