Benin: Why does the Federation want to dismiss its judicial bodies? | OneFootball

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Mathurin de Chacus and Gianni Infantino

The Beninese Football Federation is preparing for an Extraordinary General Assembly on August 20. On the agenda: the dismissal and election of members of its judicial bodies. A decision that is dividing opinion and could reopen a crisis in Beninese football.

Disciplinary committee, ethics committee… These bodies are at the heart of the BFF's operations. Their mandate? Four years. And it was renewed in August 2024. So why is there already a move to replace them just a year later?

A case dating back to April 2024

On April 22, 2024, FIFA, through its Dispute Resolution Chamber, sanctioned Jeunesse Sportive de Ouidah (JSO) for unpaid wages to Burkinabe player Aboubacar Tilourba. The club from Ouidah was ordered to settle its debts within 45 days. If not, it would be banned from signing or registering new players on FIFA's platform for three consecutive transfer windows.

But JSO tried to circumvent the sanction. They used the licenses of an amateur club, Glehoue United Sports, to take part in the 2024-2025 professional championship. Some clubs uncovered the ploy and filed complaints, including USS Kraké, Adjidja FC, Requins FC, JSP, and Coton Sports, the three-time champions of Benin.

Special note from the BFF's Competition Organization and Approval Committee

Severe sanctions… only partially enforced by the BFF

Once informed, the disciplinary and ethics committees of the Beninese Football Federation launched an investigation. After several weeks, they made their ruling:

These decisions were handed down on December 23 and 26, 2024. On January 16, 2025, the BFF invited the disciplinary and ethics committees to a meeting in Lokossa. No public report was released. A week later, the BFF executive committee met in an extraordinary session on January 23, 2025. They upheld some of the sanctions: JSO's relegation and annulment of their results. However, they dismissed the sanctions against the presidents.

BFF executive committee decision in the JSO case

Towards a tense congress?

Against this backdrop, the BFF has called for an Extraordinary General Assembly on August 20, 2025. The aim: to dismiss and elect new members for its judicial bodies, notably the disciplinary and ethics committees.

Did the magistrates and legal experts on these committees make a mistake? Or are they simply paying the price for having enforced the rules to the letter? Will the delegates approve this plan, which could plunge Beninese football back into an institutional crisis? Given the investments made by the state in recent years, this would be a scenario with serious consequences for the image and stability of the country's most popular sport. This is a story to watch closely.