Tue, October 06, 2026
Police remove Souleiman Waberi, close ally of Gianni Infantino, from FDF headquarters and he is voted out as president
Police have removed the president of the Djibouti Football Federation (FDF), and close ally of FIFA president Gianni Infantino, Souleiman Waberi, from the FDF headquarters and he has been voted out as president
Following mounting dissatisfaction amongst a group of club presidents, police have removed the president of the Djibouti Football Federation (FDF), and close ally of FIFA president Gianni Infantino, Souleiman Waberi, from the FDF headquarters, and he and his executive committee have been voted out.
Waberi is a member of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) executive committee and a member of FIFA’s council. He is known as a close ally of Infantino, who is facing extraordinary scrutiny over his abandoned plan to sell stakes in FIFA’s commercial assets.
Additionally, Waberi and other officials have also caused dissatisfaction and could also reportedly face charges due to alleged embezzlement and money laundering, having been arrested in 2024 for “misuse of cash payments” totalling almost £500,000. However, he has denied wrongdoing, stating FIFA’s “monitoring mechanisms have revealed no indication of wrongdoing regarding the funds it disbursed.”
Furthermore, FIFA and CAF provide the FDF with more than $1m annually, but some tenders are under investigation over concerns that proper procedures were not followed. One contractor voiced: “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,” according to The Guardian.
Opposition to Waberi’s presidency has been mounting for some time with 27 clubs previously disclosing that they sought his removal. However, the FDF stated that 45 clubs, not 27, out of its 67 members were required for an extraordinary assembly. This triggered additional clubs and delegates to join the opposition and for the Secretary of State for Sport, Fatouma Ali Abdallah, to also order the FDF to hold an extraordinary assembly.
Now, in a latest update, police have been involved in ousting Waberi. The FDF claimed that the police who occupied the headquarters failed to present an administrative document or court order. 16 club presidents allegedly then proceeded to hold an Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) to vote Waberi and his committee out. The FDF has voiced that since its statutes and electoral code were not abided by, the decisions made were “null and void.” It has appealed to FIFA and CAF and has warned that Djiboutian clubs may be expelled from international competitions and may lose funding.
However, those involved in ousting Waberi and creating an interim committee in his place claim that the correct number of delegates required by the statues was present.
