The Confederation of African Football "declined to back" Liberian FA President Musa Bility in his bid to become FIFA president, according to the BBC. Bility, 48, "is one of four men set to stand in next year's election to replace incumbent Sepp Blatter." CAF stated, "The Caf executive committee decided unanimously not to give Musa Bility the support he requested." Bility "is only the second African ever to make a bid for the job" (BBC, 8/6). REUTERS' Homewood & Gleeson wrote the decision comes with South African businessman
and former political prisoner Tokyo Sexwale "mulling whether to stand." Bility "needs the written endorsement" of at least five football associations to get onto the ballot for the election. Bility "has had previous run-ins with CAF" and CAF President Issa Hayatou. CAF said that "it would only decide which candidate it would back following a meeting in Cairo at the end of October, once all the candidates had registered" (REUTERS, 8/6).
PUTTING UP A FIGHT: The AFP reported a court source said that two Argentine businessmen wanted by the U.S. in its investigation of the FIFA corruption scandal "are fighting extradition." Hugo Jinkis and Mariano Jinkis, "a father and son who have been under house arrest in Argentina, are the owners of Full Play, a sports marketing company that among other businesses deals in football broadcast rights." The Jinkis duo "refused extradition before federal judge Claudio Bonadio on Wednesday and will now stand trial in Buenos Aires to determine if they should be extradited or not" (AFP, 8/6).
SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: South Korean FIFA presidential hopeful Chung Mong-joon said Thursday that "he will announce his candidacy in Paris later this month." He told a press conference in Seoul that "he will officially join the race on Aug. 17 in the French capital." He "will first travel to Georgia on Aug. 12 for UEFA Super Cup, where he will hold talks with key European football officials, and make stops through some European cities before arriving in Paris" (YONHAP, 8/6).
