DRC – FIFA expected to penalize FECOFA for sexual abuse of youngsters

FIFA has made the decision to appoint a normalization committee following the international break in response to the several scandals that have rocked the Congolese soccer organization, including allegations of sexual abuse of kids made public by Sport News Africa.

Would FECOFA finally be replaced by a normalization committee? This rumor had been going around in the CAF and FIFA hallways for weeks. The Ministry of Justice had launched an investigation after reading Sport News Africa’s report on 20 years of concealed pedocriminality in Congolese soccer, following the lead of FIFA’s ethics committee.

Even if the outcomes are yet unknown, one thing is certain: FECOFA made a decision without awaiting the findings of the investigations by validating the suspension of 15 suspected coaches.

In addition to this case, which involves some of the highest-ranking members of the federation, including vice-president Theo Binamungu, who is accused of covering up the wrongdoing, a new embezzlement issue over the TV rights for the 2022 World Cup qualifiers surfaced last month. “The funds FIFA provided must be used to advance Congolese soccer and specific initiatives in this regard. It can’t be applied as an incentive for Executive Committee members or anyone else, “In a letter dated February 10, FIFA stated. “Appropriate measures will be taken if it is confirmed that the FIFA-CAF delegates are under pressure or even threatened and that they are unable to carry out the mandate they have been given.”

After issuing this warning, FIFA declared that FECOFA’s current leadership would be replaced by a normalization committee during the international break. The decision is also politically driven since the soccer authorities, particularly CAF Secretary General Veron Mosengo-Omba, are concerned that one of Constant Omari’s men, the former president of the federation with whom the conflict is public knowledge, will win the upcoming elections.

Interestingly, the normalization committee’s establishment occurs before the suspension of an FECOFA official, which raises doubts about its legitimacy and could lead to a CAS appeal.