May 29 – Just as he did at the FIFA presidential election two years ago, Liberia’s maverick, controversial and still-in-place federation president Musa Bility is breaking Africanranks and will vote for the joint North American bid for the 2026 World Cup.
In defiance of the Confederation of African Football’s call for all countries on the continent to back Morocco’s candidacy, Bility said the decision came after talks with Liberian President and former World Footballer of the Year George Weah, whose son recently represented the US at the U17 World Cup.a
Two years ago Liberia said it voted for Gianni Infantino over Africa’s preferred candidate Sheikh Salman Bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa and although he didn’t say as much, it would be no surprise if Bility’s decision to vote for United 2026 next month was taken in support of Infantino who is widely reported to be backing the odds-on US-Canada-Mexico favourites.
Bility, a member of CAF’s executive committee who was banned from running for FIFA President himself after failing integrity checks, again appears to be rocking the boat, an LFA statement citing “the long-running traditional relationship between Liberia and the United States, the many Liberians living in the US and the impact the World Cup will have on them were key in its endorsement decision. It also highlighted the “commercial value” of the triple bid.
Bility is reported to have added that his country “will be bracing to see the World Cup in the United States as thousands of its citizens living in the country will have an opportunity to witness live world cup matches from the giant stadiums in the US.”
Liberia’s decision to back United 2026 follows a similar statement from South Africa earlier this month. International media speculated that South Africa took its decision amid fears of losing trade deals with the United States following Donald Trump’s infamous tweet saying it “would be a shame if countries that we always support were to lobby against the US bid.”
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