January 3 – Liberia Football Association chairman Musa Bility (pictured) has failed to overturn his exclusion from February’s FIFA presidential election. The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has dismissed Bility’s attempt to throw out the ruling imposed by FIFA’s Ad hoc Electoral Committee.
Bility missed out on the final field of candidates after failing an integrity check because he apparently had a criminal record. He complained the checks were not carried out under the correct procedure but CAS rejected this and said it would release the grounds for its verdict early in the New Year.
“The CAS has dismissed the appeal and upheld the FIFA AEC Decision,” the Lausanne-based court said in a brief statement.
“The FIFA Ad hoc Electoral Committee noted that Mr Bility had failed to pass the integrity checks carried out by the Investigatory Chamber of the FIFA Ethics Committee, and for this reason, could not be admitted as a candidate.”
The five candidates who have passed integrity checks to stand are Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein of Jordan, Asian Football Confederation president Sheikh Salman Bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa of Bahrain, former FIFA official Jerome Champagne, UEFA general secretary Gianni Infantino of Switzerland and South African businessman Tokyo Sexwale.
Bility was at the forefront of an unsuccessful bid in 2013 to overturn a change to African Football Confederation (CAF) election rules that ensured long-serving CAF president Issa Hayatou, currently running FIFA on an interim basis as a result of Sepp Blatter’s ban, won another term. Bility was subsequently banned by CAF for six months for what was described as “improper handling of confidential documents.”
Contact the writer of this story at mo.ll1734883817abtoo1734883817fdlro1734883817wedis1734883817ni@wa1734883817hsraw1734883817.werd1734883817na1734883817