NEW YORK — African football official Musa Hassan Bility has been banned from the game for 10 years by FIFA's Ethics Committee following an investigation into the finances of the Liberian Football Association (LFA).

FIFA said that Bility was "guilty of having misappropriated FIFA funds as well as having received benefits and found himself in situations of conflict of interest, in violation of the FIFA Code of Ethics."

Bility is a former president of the LFA and a current member of the executive of the African Football Confederation (CAF) and has been criticial of the recent steps taken by FIFA to take a more direct role in the running of African football.

On Monday, Bility said he will ask the Swiss-based Court of Arbitration for Sport to declare invalid the agreement by which FIFA secretary general Fatma Samoura will be sent on a secondment to overhaul the African governing body.

FIFA's ethics investigation pre-dates that conflict, having formally begun in May, 2018.

The investigation followed a "forensic audit" of the LFA.

FIFA said that probe had looked into "misappropriation of the funds granted under FIFA's "11 against Ebola campaign" and also examined money sent from their Financial Assistance Program funds.

The adjudicatory chamber of the Ethics Committee found that Bility had breached rules governing "misappropriation of funds", "offering and accepting gifts or other benefits" and conflicts of interest.

As well as the 10-year ban from all football administration roles, Bility will face a fine of 500,000 CHF (about $507,150).

Bility was not immediately reachable for comment. — Reuters