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A former president of the Democratic Republic of the Congo football federation, Jean-Guy Blaise Mayolas, has been sentenced to life in prison for embezzling $1.1 million allocated to the federation by the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA).
Mayolas, however, remains at large, and his whereabouts are unknown after he was tried in absentia.
Prosecutors revealed that Mayolas diverted about $1.1 million in FIFA funding intended for the country’s soccer federation, including a $500,000 grant for women’s soccer through FIFA’s COVID-19 relief program.
Mayolas was found guilty by a court in Brazzaville of money laundering, forgery, the use of forged documents, and the misappropriation of funds.
His son, Lionel Mayolas, who was also tried in absentia, received a life sentence for the same charges. The country’s football federation secretary general, Badji Mombo Wantete, and treasurer, Raoul Kanda, were each sentenced to five years in prison for complicity in money laundering, forgery, the use of forged documents, and the misappropriation of funds.
The DRC’s football federation had pledged to use the FIFA funds embezzled by Mayolas to organise women’s competitions and improve infrastructure, but authorities said those projects were never implemented.
FIFA, the global football governing body, audits accounts to ensure funds it allocates to member federations are spent on the required projects.
The global football governing body suspended the Congolese football federation after the Congolese government removed Mayolas from office in September 2024, citing third-party interference in the federation’s affairs.
During the suspension, the DRC forfeited two 2026 World Cup qualifying matches.
