The Chief Executive Officer of Monimichelle Sports Management, a sports facilities specialist in Nigeria, Ebi Egbe, has urged Nigerians to learn from the fall of the President of the Congolese Football Federation (FECOFOOT), Jean-Guy Blaise Mayolas, who was sentenced to life imprisonment after being found guilty of several financial crimes, including money laundering, forgery, illegal conflict of interest and embezzlement.

According to court findings, Mayolas was convicted for misusing funds allocated by FIFA during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The money was part of global support packages aimed at helping national football associations maintain operations and develop the sport during the health crisis.

Investigators by the court revealed that portions of the funds were diverted for personal and unauthorised purposes. The financial assistance had originally been earmarked for key development projects within Congolese football. Among the initiatives affected were programmes designed to boost women’s football as well as the construction of a national training centre intended to improve player development and infrastructure.

The ruling during the week marks one of the most severe punishments handed down to a football administrator in the region and raises fresh concerns about financial governance and accountability in football administration across Africa.

For Egbe, such sentence in Congo should serve as a big lesion for Nigerians sports administrators, who are busy diverting both FIFA and government funds for personal use instead of the purpose it is meant for.