The Confederation of African Football has declined to back Liberian Football Association president Musa Bility in his bid to become Fifa president.
Bility, 48, is one of four men to have expressed their interest in standing in next year’s election to replace outgoing Fifa chief Sepp Blatter.
“The Caf executive committee decided unanimously not to give Musa Bility the support he requested,” Caf stated.
“It advised him of this, wishing him good luck in his mission.”
Bility is only the second African ever to make a bid for the job.
Brazilian Zico, Frenchman Michel Platini and South Korean Chung Mong-joon are the other names in the frame to stand in the 26 February election.
Bility has stated his belief that “this is Africa’s time” to take the lead in world football but his lack of support from his continent’s football governing body will be a blow to his candidacy.
The Liberian has had a difficult relationship with Caf in recent years.
In 2011 Bility declared he would vote against Blatter in that year’s Fifa elections, in contrast to most of his African colleagues.
And in 2012 he – and the Liberian FA – took a case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport over changes to the way Caf elects its president, which favoured incumbent Issa Hayatou.
The court twice ruled against the LFA and then in 2013 Bility was banned from all football activity by Caf after the governing body said he “had violated statutes relating to the use of confidential documents”.
While Bility insists that their differences are now a thing of the past, Caf does not appear ready to completely forgive and forget.
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