Abdoulaye Fall election faces vote-buying allegations at Senegal Football Federation

Senegal Football Federation president Abdoulaye Fall and several associates are reportedly expected to appear before Dakar’s Urban Security unit as part of a judicial investigation into alleged corruption, according to Senegalese newspaper L’Observateur.

The claims have renewed scrutiny of Fall’s election, which took place more than a year ago but remains disputed in Senegal. The defeated candidate previously appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (TAS) over the electoral process.

The TAS ordered the appeals commission to review the case again. The latest development has now centred on allegations of vote-buying involving Fall’s election campaign.

“Abdoulaye Fall in the sights of the justice system,” read L’Observateur’s front-page headline. The newspaper reported that the FSF president and some of those close to him were “expected at the Dakar Urban Security unit as part of a judicial investigation into alleged corruption”.

The allegations have been widely discussed in the Senegalese media since Monday, while material said to support the claims has also circulated on social media.

Journalist Mansour Loum published screenshots of conversations in which sums of money were allegedly promised to football officials in return for votes in favour of Fall.

An audio recording has also emerged. It is said to be a telephone conversation in Wolof between Moustapha Biteye and a club president, with the exchange transcribed into French.

The reports have added a new dimension to the continuing controversy surrounding Fall’s election, following the earlier legal challenge to the process.