Musa Bility to step down as Liberia FA president

Musa Bility, who took charge of Liberia's FA eight years ago, will not contest the election in April.

Musa Bility is to step down as Liberia FA (LFA) president after choosing not to run for a third term.

Bility, who took charge in 2010, will be replaced in April's elections.

Last year, Bility played a lead role in helping Confederation of African Football (Caf) president Ahmad dethrone the long-standing Issa Hayatou, who had been in power for three decades.

"I'm glad that my effort helped to change football in Africa and in Fifa," Bility told BBC Sport.

"This is when I set out to leave. (I wanted to) set an example. After two terms, one should let others try."

The Liberian tried to run for the Fifa presidency itself in 2016 but was barred from contesting after failing 'an eligibility test' - a decision that he unsuccessfully challenged at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

He was nonetheless a key figure in the elections at football's world governing body after he publicly challenged a Caf directive to its member associations to vote for Bahraini candidate Sheikh Salman.

Sheikh Salman failed in his bid - in part because the African vote was split, with many on the continent voting for either Prince Ali, Bility's preferred candidate, or the eventual winner, Gianni Infantino.

"It became clear to me that it was impossible for football to develop in countries like mine unless it was properly managed at the level of Caf and Fifa," Bility wrote in a letter informing Fifa president Infantino of his decision to step down.

"Being who I've always been, I never hesitated to take on both institutions as an agent of change.

"The international attention that came with this fight became very costly to me, my family and even, at times, my ability to properly oversee the affairs of my FA.

"From an unjust suspension by Caf and the misuse of 'integrity checks' by people in Fifa who themselves would later be disgracefully removed from office, I have suffered a reputational damage that still haunts me today."

Banned for six months by Caf for violating 'statutes relating to the use of confidential document,' Bility only served out four months after Caf ended his ban early.

At the time of his ban, Bility had been involved in fighting Caf rule changes that effectively allowed Hayatou to be re-elected unopposed earlier that year.

Following Ahmad's election victory last year, Bility became an Executive Committee member of the organisation he used to fight - namely, Caf.

"There is much more of me to come at the levels of Caf and Fifa," he told the BBC.

Ranked 160th in the world by Fifa when Bility took over in 2010, Liberia broke into the top 100 three years later - for the first time since George Weah, the legendary player who is now the country's president, retired in the early noughties.

They have since dropped to their current ranking of 135.