Source:REUTERS/Eloisa Sanchez
[Saba Sports News] According to British media reports, Congolese authorities have applied to Interpol for an international arrest warrant for Jean Guy Bryce Mayoras, president of the country’s football federation, after he was convicted of embezzling $1.1 million in FIFA funds. Mayoras, together with his wife and son, was sentenced to life imprisonment this month for misappropriating FIFA funds and is currently on the run. The funds were part of FIFA’s COVID-19 relief aid programme launched in February 2021. Mayoras and his family were tried in absentia and are believed to have fled the country several weeks before the trial. Investigators suspect he may be hiding in Cameroon or the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Authorities and partner police forces across the region have been put on alert, while officials are working with financial intelligence units to freeze assets linked to the case. On March 10, a court in Brazzaville found Mayoras and his family guilty of money laundering, forgery, use of forged documents and embezzlement.
The editor believes that this scandal has raised concerns about transparency and accountability in football governance, especially regarding the management of international development funds intended to support the growth of the sport. With the conclusion of the court proceedings, attention is likely to shift toward potential internal reforms within the federation and efforts to restore credibility in the country’s football administration.