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More must be done to make Gabonese football safer, players’ union Fifpro has said after a former youth coach convicted of sexually abusing players was handed a life ban by world football’s governing body, Fifa.
On Tuesday Fifa ruled that Patrick Assoumou Eyi, who was head coach of Gabon’s national youth teams for decades, had sexually abused multiple young boys throughout his career.
Eyi had been named in a 2023 BBC Africa Eye investigation into the widespread abuse allegations plaguing Gabonese football.
In the investigation, a former Gabonese international said Eyi held the “position of a god” as he had the power to decide who would play for Gabon’s youth teams.
Eyi – known widely as Capello – was “just one of several individuals in Gabonese football who exploited their power with impunity”, Fifpro said in a statement on Wednesday.
Although the union welcomed Fifa’s decision to ban the former coach from all football-related activities, it said football in the central African country would not be safe until “all perpetrators and those who enabled them are brought to justice”.
Eyi had admitted charges of raping, grooming and exploiting young players after allegations were first reported by the UK’s Guardian newspaper in 2021.
Fifa’s independent ethics committee launched its investigation into Eyi later that year.
As well as being banned for life, Eyi has been fined one million Swiss francs (£880,000; $1.1m). He is currently being held in prison.
“The investigation into Mr Eyi concerns complaints from at least four male football players who accused him of sexual abuse between 2006 and 2021. Most of these incidents occurred while the players were minors,” Fifa’s statement said.
One of Eyi’s alleged victims, who wanted to remain anonymous, told the BBC on Wednesday he was pleased about the ban.
“But on the other hand, I’m not satisfied because I don’t want us to stop there. It’s a whole network, a system that needs to be dismantled, with many predators running free,” they said.
In 2023, BBC Africa spoke to more that 30 witnesses who told of a sexual abuse network that had afflicted all levels of Gabonese football for three decades.
One victim said he was abused as a teenager at an under-17 football camp. Another, who played for Gabon’s national team for several years, said he was assaulted from the age of 14.
Along with the perpetrators of the abuse, governing bodies such as Fifa and Gabon’s national football federation, Fegafoot, have faced accusations that they failed to protect young victims.
Both bodies denied the allegations made against them.
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