FIFA probe allegations of financial misconduct in Congo

FIFA announced on Wednesday that its ethics committee is investigating officials of the Congo Brazzaville Football Federation (Fecofoot) following allegations of financial misconduct.

The federation president, Jean-Guy Blaise Mayolas, its secretary general, Wantete Badji, and its financial director, Raoul Kanda, are suspected of embezzling funds allocated by FIFA.

The three men were found guilty on March 10 of "money laundering, forgery and use of forged documents, and embezzlement" by the Brazzaville criminal court. 

Mayolas was sentenced to life imprisonment for misappropriating more than one million euros ($1.15 million) in funding from the international governing body. Badji and Kanda received five-year prison sentences. 

Fecofoot was suspended by FIFA in 2025 for political interference, following the Congolese government's dismissal of Mayolas. 

The national team was forced to forfeit two 2026 World Cup qualifiers, against Zambia and Tanzania, before FIFA lifted the suspension.

lh-dl/bsp