Here’s what BBC Africa Eye uncovered in their hard-hitting investigation “Predators on the Pitch: Inside Africa’s Biggest Football Scandal,” exposing a decades-long pattern of grooming and sexual abuse in Gabonese football: ⸻ What Is BBC Africa Eye? BBC Africa Eye is the investigative arm of the BBC World Service, launched in 2018. It produces high-impact, biweekly investigative reports in multiple languages (English, French, Swahili, Hausa), focusing on pressing issues across Africa—often prompting real-world reforms. ⸻ The Investigation: “Predators on the Pitch” • Scope & Focus: Reporter Khadidiatou Cissé delved into one of African football’s darkest scandals—highlighting sexual abuse, grooming, and exploitation of young male footballers in Gabon, allegedly spanning three decades. • Survivors Speak Out: Over 30 witnesses shared chilling testimonies: • One victim described being taken at night to a room lit in red, where he and others were assaulted while helpless. • Another survivor invoked a haunting memory: locked inside, stripped, attacked, and forced into silence under threat. • Systemic Issues Exposed: Many survivors and insiders believe the scandal was no isolated incident. Rather, they allege a network—or at least widespread complicity—stretching to the highest levels of football governance in Gabon. ⸻ The Consequences & Fallout • ‘Capello’ — Banned for Life: Patrick Assoumou Eyi, known as “Capello,” served as head coach of Gabon’s under-17 football teams. In 2025, FIFA slapped him with a lifetime ban from football and a hefty CHF 1,000,000 fine after he admitted to raping, grooming, and exploiting multiple underage players between 2006 and 2021. • Allegations Against Federation Leadership: Pierre-Alain Mounguengui, the president of Gabon’s Football Association (Fegafoot), faced mounting criticism and legal scrutiny for allegedly failing to report abuses. Despite calls for his suspension, he remained in powerful roles, including positions within CAF and continued appearances at major tournaments. • Footballers’ Union Weighs In: Fifpro—football’s global players’ union—called out the scandal as systemic, warning that punishing one individual isn’t enough. They emphasized the need to dismantle the entire culture of abuse. ⸻ Risks Still Loom Survivors and observers caution that the problem isn’t fully rooted out yet: “Capello is a scapegoat… it goes all the way to the top, and they will do anything to cover it up.” Another player, Julien, who was abused from age 14, fears the system hasn’t changed: “I am convinced the abuse is still happening.” #abuse #gabon #BBC #raiseawareness - @corneliusfeelmo