Football life ban for ‘Capello’ but Gabon’s abuse questions are far from over

It was at a press conference to announce Gabon’s squad for an Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Burundi in August 2018 that Pierre-Alain Mounguengui admitted Gabonese football had a problem. After shocking revelations made by Shiva “Star” Nzigou – a former striker who played for the French club Nantes and won 24 caps – that a network of paedophiles had been operating in the country for more than two decades, the president of the Gabon football association (Fegafoot) since 2014 felt obliged to comment.

“Before Shiva Star Nzigou’s statements, we knew that in Gabon there were similar signs and other indications,” Mounguengui said. “In the past, without naming names, we had people in certain clubs and sports venues who were hired to coach young people, but the education of a child begins at the grassroots. If they are deformed at the root, it is sometimes difficult to straighten them out. If we can have adults [coaches] of good moral character, I think it’s possible to stem this phenomenon.”

It does not reflect well on Mounguengui’s comments that in March, more than six years on, Fifa handed Patrick Assoumou Eyi, the former head coach of Gabon’s under-17 team, a lifetime ban from football after an investigation into complaints that he sexually abused boys over a 15-year period that ended in 2021.

An investigation in 2021 detailed allegations that Eyi, known as “Capello”, would lure alleged victims to his home, which he called the “Garden of Eden”, and that he provided boys for other senior figures in football to abuse. Those senior figures remain at large. The international players’ union Fifpro and several of the alleged victims have warned that Eyi was just the tip of the iceberg. Eyi has admitted to charges of raping, grooming and exploiting players.

“Capello isn’t the only predator in Gabonese football,” says Brice Makaya, a former player who was assistant coach to the under-17s. “I still don’t get why some people have not been banned. They need to be brought to justice and banned from football.”

Mounguengui remains under investigation by Fifa over claims that he failed to report alleged sexual abuse to the Gabonese authorities. He is also awaiting trial in Gabon after spending almost six months in police custody in 2022 and could face up to three years in prison if found guilty of not reporting the abuse to the Gabonese authorities. There is no suggestion he has been accused of sexual abuse and Mounguengui has denied the allegations made against him and said appropriate action was taken as soon as allegations of sexual abuse in Gabonese football were made public. Parfait Ndong, a former Gabon defender who says that he has received death threats after speaking publicly about the alleged abuse in the game, has called on Fifa to suspend Mounguengui immediately.

Pierre-Alain Mounguengui, the president of the Gabon football association. Photograph: Fegafoot

Fifa has yet to act on an independent investigator’s recommendation in 2023 that he should be suspended immediately. The governing body said last year it was continuing to investigate and rejected any claim that it was not acting on allegations or information. It can be revealed that Fifa is looking into comments made by Mounguengui in November 2023 when he suggested the investigation into Eyi had been part of a plot to destabilise his presidency after he was re-elected for a third term in April 2022 – a few days before Mounguengui was arrested.

“It always coincides with the federation’s election,” he said at another press conference. “Here we are no longer in 2018 – between 2018 and 2021 nothing was said. And then afterwards, a ‘Capello’ affair is brought up. People were used to give testimonies … these are the artificial scandals just to hinder Mounguengui’s candidacy.”

Mounguengui, a former international referee who was elected as a vice-president of the Confederation of African Football last week having served on its executive committee from February 2018 until last year, did not respond to questions asking him to explain his comments. A Fifa spokesperson said that, as part of a general policy covering its independent Ethics Committee, they could not comment on whether investigations were under way into alleged cases.

“Our younger generations need to play in a safe environment,” Ndong said. “I’ve made this promise to myself, my kids and all the players I coached. We’re going till the end of this process but sometimes it’s very hard … I hoped Fifa could help us in order to clean our football from sexual abuses. But only banning one coach isn’t enough.”

An alleged victim, speaking anonymously to protect his identity, told the BBC in 2023 that Capello was “a scapegoat. It is the heads at the top that should be rolling.” Fifpro has said the case “illustrates the systemic nature of this grave problem, where an individual may be sanctioned, but the same governance system that allowed it to occur in the first place remains. Under the current system, national and international football authorities mutually protect each other to the detriment of players.”

Remy Ebanega, president of the Gabonese player union, said players had experienced “horrific abuse” and that he expected “a full review of the Gabonese FA’s suitability to govern football in Gabon”.

It is understood that the police have dropped charges of sexual abuse against Orphee Mickala which were brought against him in respect of his work at the Libreville club Tout Puissant Akwembé. He is back working in football at a junior club. Fifa’s ethics committee has not announced the outcome of its investigations against Triphel Mabicka from Moussavou FC, who was provisionally suspended for 90 days in May 2022 after being accused of sexual abuse. He has subsequently been charged with rape and sexual abuse of minors and pleaded guilty. The ethics committee is understood still to be investigating other individuals over alleged sexual abuse in Gabon.