Congo Football Chief Flees After $1.1M FIFA Fraud Conviction
Interpol warrant requested for Fecofoot president Jean-Guy Blaise Mayolas and his family after embezzling COVID-19 relief funds meant for Congo women's team.
Authorities in Congo-Brazzaville have applied to Interpol for an international arrest warrant against Jean-Guy Blaise Mayolas, the president of the country's football federation, Fecofoot, after he was convicted of embezzling $1.1 million in FIFA funds.
Mayolas is on the run with his wife and son after they were all sentenced to life imprisonment this month for siphoning off funds provided by world football's governing body as part of its COVID-19 relief plan in February 2021. As the Guardian revealed last year, that included almost $500,000 earmarked for the Congo women's team.
The Fecofoot president and his family fled the country after the conviction, prompting authorities to seek an Interpol arrest warrant to bring them to justice. The wide-ranging corruption charges include embezzlement, money laundering, and abuse of office.
"This is a deplorable betrayal of trust," said Alain Akouala, the Minister of Sports in Congo-Brazzaville. "Mayolas used his position to line his own pockets instead of developing the sport, especially for women and youth. We will pursue him relentlessly through Interpol until he is brought back to face the consequences of his actions."
The FIFA funds were part of a $1.5 billion COVID-19 relief package announced in 2020 to help national football associations weather the financial impacts of the pandemic. However, the scandal in Congo-Brazzaville highlights the risk of misappropriation and corruption in the distribution of these emergency funds.
"FIFA takes a zero-tolerance approach to corruption and we will continue to work closely with law enforcement to ensure those who abuse their positions are held accountable," said a FIFA spokesperson. "We are cooperating fully with the authorities in Congo-Brazzaville and will provide any assistance needed to locate and extradite Mayolas."
The case is the latest in a string of high-profile corruption scandals to hit African football in recent years. In 2019, the former president of the Confederation of African Football, Ahmad Ahmad, was banned from the sport for five years by FIFA's ethics committee for financial misconduct.
Experts say the Mayolas case underscores the need for greater financial transparency and oversight in African football to prevent similar abuses of power and misuse of funds intended to develop the sport.
Source: The Guardian
