Djibouti Football Federation accused of misusing funds from FIFA

What the report says

Djibouti’s football federation is facing accusations of misuse and favoritism after a government audit alleged problems with how it handled money linked to FIFA, CAF and a separate Saudi-funded headquarters project. The allegations, reported by Al Jazeera on August 21, 2026, come amid frustration from players and local club officials in the Horn of Africa nation, where the men’s team is ranked near the bottom of the FIFA standings.

According to the AFP report published by Al Jazeera, FIFA and the Confederation of African Football together provide more than $1m a year to Djibouti’s federation, making external funding central to the sport’s operations there. A local club manager, speaking anonymously, said some teams were considering a boycott unless leadership changed, arguing that the federation’s resources were not being used to develop football.

The dispute stems from a 2024 inspector general’s report that allegedly found irregularities in the award of a headquarters contract and overpricing in several parts of the project. A federation official, Mohamed Elmi Farah, resigned from the executive committee on August 12, citing concerns about how resources were managed.

Federation president Souleiman Hassan Waberi rejected wrongdoing and said FIFA had found no indication of misuse in its monitoring. He acknowledged weaknesses in competitive bidding, but said procedures had improved. The case matters because it raises wider questions about oversight in African football governance, especially in smaller federations dependent on international funding.