The president of the Congolese Football Federation (FECOFOOT), Jean-Guy Blaise Mayolas, has been sentenced to life in prison after a court found him guilty of multiple financial crimes.
The ruling, delivered on Tuesday, convicted Mayolas in absentia on charges of money laundering, embezzlement and forgery. His wife and son, who were also implicated in the case, received the same life sentence.
Mayolas, who was elected to lead FECOFOOT in 2018, had faced accusations of diverting around $1.3 million in funds provided by FIFA.
Investigators alleged that the money was siphoned through a network of shell companies, including nearly $500,000 that had been earmarked for the country’s women’s national team.
The controversy intensified in March last year when presidents of clubs competing in the Congolese Women’s Championship submitted a formal complaint to the Central Intelligence and Documentation Office, a department under the Ministry of the Interior.
In their declaration, the clubs claimed that of the $500,000 sent by FIFA to FECOFOOT in 2021 as part of its Covid-19 relief programme, only $20,000 had reached them.
The court also handed prison terms to several senior federation officials. FECOFOOT’s general secretary, Badji Mombo Wantete, and treasurer, Raoul Kanda, were each sentenced to five years behind bars for their involvement in the financial irregularities.
Prosecutors said the verdict followed an eight-month investigation that examined banking records, financial documents and the federation’s internal administrative and accounting procedures.
The developments come as the DR Congo national football team prepares for a crucial fixture in the race for a place at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The side is scheduled to play its final inter-confederation playoff match on March 31, 2026 at Akron Stadium in Zapopan, Mexico, with a World Cup spot at stake.
