President of the Congolese Football Federation (FECOFOOT), Jean-Guy Blaise Mayolas, his wife and son have been sentenced to life imprisonment for embezzling nearly $1.3 million in FIFA development funds.
President of the Congolese Football Federation (FECOFOOT), Jean-Guy Blaise Mayolas.
A Congolese court handed down the verdict in absentia around March 9, with the trio convicted on charges of money laundering, embezzlement and forgery.
The misappropriated funds, allocated by world football governing body FIFA, were meant for critical projects including women’s football development and construction of a national training centre.
Club presidents in Congo reportedly received just $20,000 from a $500,000 COVID-19 relief package disbursed in 2021, while nearly $500,000 earmarked for the women’s national team never reached the intended recipients.
Mayolas, who has led FECOFOOT since 2018, allegedly siphoned the money through shell companies, prompting FIFA to suspend him and the federation’s general secretary in September 2025 over governance failures.
Two other federation officials also received five-year jail terms for their complicity in the scandal.
The case underscores ongoing challenges in African football administration, where mismanagement of FIFA funds has repeatedly triggered suspensions and legal actions.
