Last Updated on April 2, 2025 by Thomas Kojo Roulhac and Edwin Dolo
Eight years into his 10-year ban from all football-related activities by FIFA, Musa Hassan Bility has reemerged in the spotlight—this time, stirring controversy by commenting on a football matter, raising questions about whether he has violated the terms of his suspension.
Bility, now a sitting member of the Liberian legislature, appeared on the OK Morning Rush radio program on Tuesday, April 1, 2025. During the appearance, he addressed a question concerning Cassell Anthony Kuoh, a declared presidential aspirant in the upcoming 2026 Liberia Football Association (LFA) elections.
In 2019, FIFA handed Bility—a former President of the Liberia Football Association—a 10-year ban and a fine of US$500,000 for misappropriating FIFA funds and benefiting from conflicts of interest. The sanction prohibits him from engaging in any football-related activities, including administrative, sports, or political roles at the national or international level. This includes attending matches, participating in LFA events, or discussing football politics.
The misuse of funds was linked to FIFA’s “11 Against Ebola” campaign and the global body’s Financial Assistance Programme.
During the broadcast, Bility was asked to clarify whether Kuoh had been expelled from the LFA Executive Committee. In response, he stated that Kuoh had not been expelled but had voluntarily resigned as Vice President for Operations after being arrested in the United States.
The controversy stems from repeated claims that Kuoh is ineligible to attend the April 2025 LFA Congress due to a 2017 expulsion. Bility countered this, saying Kuoh had communicated his resignation to the LFA after a 90-day suspension.
According to Article 47 of the LFA Statutes, a Vice President or Executive Committee member’s seat can be declared vacant due to death, resignation, permanent disability, or absence from four consecutive regular meetings.
Bility emphasized that Kuoh’s legal troubles in the U.S. have no bearing under Liberian jurisdiction and reiterated, “He was my Vice President, and he was not expelled. Rather, he resigned after facing issues in America.” He added that expulsion from the LFA requires due process—a hearing and formal judgment—which, he claims, never occurred in Kuoh’s case.
Bility’s defense cited a motion brought forth by then-LISCR FC President Mustapha Raji—now LFA President—which led to Kuoh’s suspension. The motion passed with 33 votes in favor, none against, and three abstentions. Meanwhile, Executive Committee member Rochelle Woodson, who had also been absent, was expelled with 35 votes in favor, three against, and no abstentions.
Woodson Reacts: “He Targeted Me”
Responding to Bility’s remarks, Rochelle Woodson accused him of double standards and said her expulsion was unlawful.
Madam Woodson explained that she had officially requested maternity leave before traveling to the United States, but was still expelled by the LFA Congress—unlike Kuoh, whose suspension was merely extended. She referenced a December 28, 2017 LFA statement acknowledging her maternity leave but claiming it had not been extended.
She challenged Bility’s assertion that expulsion requires due process, arguing that she was never given a hearing or the opportunity to defend herself.
Woodson later took her case to the Swiss-based Court of Arbitration for Sport, where she won a ruling overturning her expulsion.
“I challenge Musa to show the communication from Kuoh that he claims exists,” she said. “The letter was sent through me following the December 2017 Congress.”
She added that Bility, under a FIFA ban, should refrain from making public statements about football affairs. “If he were smart, he wouldn’t have commented at all,” Woodson declared.
As political jockeying intensifies ahead of the 2026 LFA elections, Bility’s comments have reignited concerns over whether his involvement—direct or indirect—violates the terms of his FIFA ban.
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