Police occupy Djibouti FA headquarters amid attempt to oust Fifa council member

Attempts to oust Souleiman Waberi as the president of the Djibouti football federation (FDF) reached a dramatic climax on Monday as police occupied the federation’s headquarters after a group of club presidents called an extraordinary general assembly aimed at removing the Fifa council member and his executive committee.

The FDF said police first occupied its national technical centre at about 5.30pm on Sunday, without presenting an administrative document or court order. According to the federation, on Monday a much larger police contingent ordered Waberi, members of the executive committee, staff and other federation members to leave the premises.

Related: Nations League roundup: Olise leads late charge as France bowl over Belgium

The FDF said 16 club presidents then entered the building under police escort and proceeded to hold what it described as a “purported” EGM. The federation rejected the meeting as illegitimate, saying it had not been properly convened and that the notice periods and procedures required under its statutes and electoral code had not been respected. It declared any decisions taken “null and void”. But sources in Djibouti have insisted the number of delegates required by the statutes was present. They unanimously voted to remove Waberi and the executive committee before establishing an interim committee to oversee the federation.

In the Guardian app, tap the Profile settings button at the top right, then select Notifications. Turn on sport notifications.

If you already have the Guardian app, make sure you’re on the most recent version.

If you don't have the Guardian app, download it from the iOS App Store on iPhone or the Google Play store on Android by searching for 'The Guardian'.

The confrontation follows weeks of mounting opposition to Waberi, a member of the Confederation of African Football (Caf) executive committee as well as Fifa’s council and a close ally of Gianni Infantino. At the start of September, a coalition of 27 clubs announced its intention to vote on the removal of the executive committee and insisted it had secured the two-thirds support required under the federation’s statutes.

The FDF disputed that calculation, saying it has 67 members and that 45 – not 27 – would be required to trigger an extraordinary assembly. The dispute escalated as additional clubs and delegates joined the campaign against the executive committee. The government then intervened, with the secretary of state for sport, Fatouma Ali Abdallah, ordering the FDF to convene an extraordinary general assembly within 72 hours.

The FDF has appealed to Fifa and Caf, arguing that the use of state security forces to remove elected officials could constitute interference in the affairs of a national football association. It warned that the consequences could include suspension, exclusion of Djiboutian clubs and national teams from international competitions, and a freeze on development programmes and funding. The Guardian has requested a comment from Fifa.

It is understood Waberi and several other officials could be facing charges this week after a police investigation of the FDF related to suspected embezzlement and money laundering was completed. They were arrested in September 2024 after a government inspection of the FDF identified financial and administrative irregularities, including weaknesses in procurement, cash management and financial controls. The government’s investigation also raised concerns about anomalies in payments to third parties, failure to pay tax on salaries and wages and “misuse of cash payments” totalling almost £500,000. The police then carried out its investigation.

Waberi has denied wrongdoing. He said in August after the FDF was accused by a club official of misusing funds that Fifa’s “monitoring mechanisms have revealed no indication of wrongdoing regarding the funds it disbursed”.

Fifa, which along with Caf contributes more than $1m (£760,000) a year to the FDF through its forward development programme, has financed football infrastructure and youth-development programmes in Djibouti, including the Douda academy and artificial-pitch projects in Arta and Dikhil. But it is understood that various tenders are under investigation because they did not comply with standard procedures.

Several foreign workers who were not in compliance with immigration regulations were sent back to their home countries, meaning construction was halted. According to several Caf and Fifa employees and contractors, the projects in Djibouti are “a complete farce”. “We pass on the information but nothing happens,” said one contractor. “The money has gone missing, the projects are never finished – or if they are, it’s just a bare-bones version – and nobody says a word. It breaks my heart for the young people who just want to play football.”