Fifa’s decision to impose on March 6 a life ban on former Gabonese youth coach Patrick Assoumou Eyi, after finding him guilty of sexually abusing multiple young players, has been described as a “positive first step”.
However, officials at global players’ union Fifpro have warned that this is only the beginning, highlighting that there are “many more perpetrators” within Gabonese football. Eyi, who coached Gabon’s national youth teams for decades, was named in a 2023 BBC Africa Eye investigation that exposed widespread abuse within the country’s football system.
Fifa’s independent ethics Committee launched an investigation into Eyi following the first allegations reported by the UK’s Guardian newspaper in 2021. The investigation confirmed that Eyi had sexually abused at least four male players between 2006 and 2021, most of whom were minors at the time. Along with his lifetime ban, Eyi has been fined one million Swiss francs (£880,000; $1.1 million) and is currently imprisoned. Fifa’s ruling came after the former coach admitted to charges of raping, grooming, and exploiting young players during his tenure.
While the ban has been welcomed by some of Eyi’s victims, there are concerns that it represents only a small fraction of the problem. One of the victims, speaking anonymously to the BBC, stated that while the ban was a step forward, it was not enough. They stressed the need to dismantle the entire system that allowed such abuse to take place for decades. In 2023, BBC Africa interviewed more than 30 witnesses who described a sexual abuse network affecting all levels of Gabonese football, with accusations that both Fifa and Gabon’s football federation, Fegafoot, failed to protect vulnerable players. Both bodies have denied these allegations.