Police occupy Djibouti FA headquarters as clubs move to oust President Souleiman Waberi

Police have occupied the headquarters of the Djibouti Football Federation (FDF) as a group of club presidents moved to remove federation president and FIFA Council member Souleiman Waberi from office according to The Guardian.

The dramatic development unfolded on Monday after growing opposition to Waberi and his executive committee culminated in an extraordinary general assembly reportedly convened by clubs seeking their removal.

According to the FDF, police first entered its national technical centre at around 5:30pm on Sunday without presenting an administrative document or court order.

The federation claimed that a larger police contingent returned on Monday and ordered Waberi, members of the executive committee, staff and other federation officials to leave the premises.

The FDF further alleged that 16 club presidents subsequently entered the headquarters under police escort and held what it described as a “purported” extraordinary general assembly.

The federation has rejected the meeting as illegitimate, arguing that the required notice periods and procedures under its statutes and electoral code were not followed. It has consequently declared any decisions taken at the meeting “null and void”.

However, sources in Djibouti have disputed the FDF’s position, insisting that the required number of delegates was present. According to those sources, the delegates unanimously voted to remove Waberi and his executive committee before establishing an interim committee to run the federation.

The confrontation follows weeks of mounting pressure on Waberi, who is a member of both the Confederation of African Football (CAF) executive committee and the FIFA Council.

In September, a coalition of 27 clubs announced plans to seek the removal of the FDF executive committee, claiming it had secured the two-thirds support required under the federation’s statutes.

The FDF disputed that figure, saying it has 67 members and that 45 members would therefore be required to trigger an extraordinary assembly.

The dispute escalated after more clubs and delegates joined the campaign, prompting government intervention. Djibouti’s Secretary of State for Sport, Fatouma Ali Abdallah, subsequently ordered the FDF to convene an extraordinary general assembly within 72 hours.

The FDF has appealed to FIFA and CAF, warning that the involvement of state security forces in removing elected football officials could amount to government interference in the affairs of a national association.

Such interference could potentially expose Djibouti to FIFA sanctions, including suspension from international competitions, exclusion of its clubs and national teams, and the freezing of football development programmes and funding.

The crisis also comes amid a separate investigation into the federation’s finances.

Waberi and several other officials were arrested in September 2024 following a government inspection that identified alleged financial and administrative irregularities, including weaknesses in procurement, cash management and financial controls.

The investigation also raised concerns over payments to third parties, unpaid taxes on salaries and wages, and alleged misuse of cash payments reportedly totalling almost £500,000.

Waberi has consistently denied wrongdoing.

In August, following accusations from a club official regarding the alleged misuse of federation funds, Waberi said FIFA’s monitoring mechanisms had found no indication of wrongdoing concerning funds provided by the world governing body.

FIFA and CAF are understood to contribute more than $1 million annually to the FDF through development programmes, supporting football infrastructure and youth projects in Djibouti.

These include the Douda academy and artificial-pitch projects in Arta and Dikhil.

However, some of the development projects and procurement processes have reportedly come under investigation, with concerns also raised over unfinished infrastructure projects.

The latest confrontation now puts Djibouti’s football administration at a critical crossroads, with the legitimacy of Monday’s extraordinary assembly likely to become a major issue for FIFA and CAF.

The world governing body has yet to publicly state its position on the developments.