The International Football Federation (FIFA) has opened a disciplinary investigation against three coaches and a senior Gabonese football official, suspected since the end of 2021 of multiple sexual assaults of underage players, it announced on Tuesday May 3.
The world football body first began preliminary investigations in December 2021 against Patrick Assoumou Eyi, coach of the national under-17 team until 2017, also at the heart of a criminal investigation in his country.
The public prosecutor of Libreville had indeed announced at the end of December his indictment as well as that of Triphel Mabicka and Orphée Mickala for “rape of a minor”, “sexual assault” and “endangering the lives of others”specifying that no sports federation in the country would be spared from the investigations which would concern ” all the sports “.
The disciplinary chamber of FIFA has extended to the whole world the provisional suspension imposed on December 17 by the Gabonese Football Federation on Eyi, nicknamed “Capello”, and accused of having sexually abused several hundred young boys.
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FIFA then opened separate proceedings against two other Gabonese coaches, Triphel Mabicka and Orphee Mickala, as well as the president of the Estuaire Football League, the province of the capital Libreville, Serge Ahmed Mombo.
These three men are banned for ninety days from any administrative or sporting activity in football both nationally and internationallyspecifies the instance.
The case was revealed in December by the British daily The Guardianwhich cited anonymous testimonies from declared victims, according to which “Capello” decided the future in the selection of young players under the age of 17 according to whether or not they gave in to his advances.
According to the same testimonies, Mr. Eyi “provided” also young people to other “figures” domestic soccer.
“If these allegations are true, it is further proof that football is consistently used, across leagues and continents, as a forum for sexual abusers to gain access to players and prey on them.”commented the International Federation of Professional Footballers (FIFPRO).
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