President Bility offers smiles at the end of the press conference yesterday
LFA chief Musa Bility was elated when he met with local sports journalists yesterday at the Rose Garden in Monrovia.
“I’m happy to inform the Liberian people that,” he said, excitedly, “my nomination for the FIFA presidency was submitted by Team Bility and confirmed. I’m all set to contest the presidency of the world’s football controlling body.”
He said with that cleared, FIFA will now carry out an integrity check on candidates before the final confirmation early February, next year.
“I want to announce to the Liberian people that I’m serious about my desire to run for FIFA president,” Bility said.
He explained that his chances for the job are clear and on course. “Integrity check,” he explained, “deals with sanction due to official who might have been involved in financial improprieties and or lack of accountability on funds provided by FIFA and other bad practices that are unbecoming of an official.”
He said his records are clean. “The records are there to show that I have had my share of issues with FIFA and CAF.”
“It is on record that I opposed Blatter’s candidacy and also spoke out against CAF president Issa Hayatou’s desire to monopolize the position of CAF president.
“On each count, I suffered for it but it has nothing to do with integrity, and so my records are clean and I’m ready for the job,” he stated.
Bility said at least five countries that he chose not to identified, along with Liberia nominated him. “The presidents of football associations, representing those countries are the ones that will vote and I’m convinced they are on my side,” he said.
He explained that there are other candidates who would be contesting for the job, “but I am not afraid because I have the support and my support comes from the countries that nominated me that have a combined population of over 200 million people.”
He said his campaign would cost about U$5M and he would want the support of the Liberian government and people.
“I’m a businessman,” Bility said, “and even if I don’t get the monetary support I need from my country, I will take care of it.”
As a Liberian, he said, “’I think I must appeal to my people to give me their support.”
He appealed to the media to provide the moral support that he needs for his campaign.
He said Team Bility will meet in Abidjan to work on strategy next week, which is headed by former LFA president Rep. Edwin Snowe. “I have a campaign team in Paris and I want to assure Liberians that they must give me their support.”
The elections are yet to be concluded, but Bility seems to know what he would do, after his inauguration.
“I will make sure that countries are treated fairly in providing financial allotment to support football associations throughout the world,” he said.
He said, “It’s unfair to give a country like United Kingdom (Britain), U$250,000 and give Liberia U$250,000 as their annual allotment.
“I will take closer look at Liberia and provide more money to Liberia and other countries, according to her developing needs.”
He said his administration will work to ease governments’ support on national associations.
“I will run FIFA from Liberia,” was his last message.