How sex abuse ring target Gabon footballers wey be small pikin

Football governing bodies dey face accusations say dem fail to protect young victims of sexual abuse for Gabon. BBC Africa Eye speak to more dan 30 witnesses wey tok about one network wey don affect all levels of di game for three decades.

Warning: Dis article contain details wey fit disturb some readers.

Di allegation of sexual abuse for di central African kontri of Gabon don dey happun since di early 1990s.

One victim wey no want make we mention im name describe wetin happun to am wen im be teenager for Under-17 football camp. E tok say dem wake im and im best friend up for di middle of di night and take dem to one room wit red lights, naked men full inside.

“Dem start to dey touch me and my friend and I no just understand. I bin start to pray. I bin wan get out, but dem lock di door. Dem grab me and throw me on di floor. Two security men dey dia. E be like say dem bin dey prepared,” e tok.

"I see how dem start to rape my friend. I look am for eyes, and im look me back as if to tell me say: ‘Make we just go along wit dem and finish am.’ I cry and scream and scream.

"Dem tell me say I go neva dey selected to eva play again, and add say dem go kill my family if I dare to tell anyone wetin happun.”

Im no eva play for Gabon again.

BBC Africa Eye hear say several attempts dey to alert authorities to wetin dey happun ova di years.

For 2019, former Gabon international Parfait Ndong return home to set up im academy Jardin de football au Gabon. Wit 45 caps to im name and ogbonge playing career for Europe, na respected figure for Gabonese football. Wen e find out wetin dey happun, e tok say im alert di authorities.

"I take all di steps wey I fit take,” e tell di BBC, and add say im speak to di president of di league, di president of di national football federation, known as Fegafoot, and di sports minister dat time.

E tok say afta dem ignore dis effort, im return to local media: Nobody wan hear wetin I get to say.”

Na until di UK Guardian newspaper report di abuse for December 2021 dem arrest four coaches. Three of dem remain for prison.

Na Patrick Assoumou popularly known as Capello dey at di heart of di most damaging allegations. For decades, na im be di head coach of Gabon national youth teams. Capello get di power to decide who go play for Gabon for dat level.

"Im basically hold di position of a god sake of say evri bodi dey idolise am. Pipo wey dey in charge of training centres, di academies,” Ndong tok.

For December 2021, Fifa independent ethics committee start preliminary investigation proceedings into reports of sexual abuse wey Capello allegedly commit and dem suspend am from all football-related activities. Na Fegafoot newly installed ethics committee lead dis probe, and for May 2022, Fifa investigatory chamber formalise di preliminary investigation.

Loïc Alves wey be senior legal counsel for Fifpro - di global union for professional football players, to allow Fegafoot to initially lead di investigation constitute "conflict of interest at every level".

"How victim go take trust di same institution wey don abuse dem? E ask.

Capello admit di charges wey tok say im rape, groom and exploit young players. E still dey prison dey wait for sentencing. Di oda coaches deny di allegations wey dem make against dem.

Pipo don ask questions about which authorities dey aware and wen?

Alexis, wey we change im name to protect im identity, climb through di youth ranks for Gabon and go on to play for Europe. E tell BBC say di only reason wey im fit speak na sake of say im no dey for di kontri again. If im still dey for di kontri, im life go dey for danger.

"So, dem arrest Capello but how long dem don know and do notin about am? Dem stop at di lowest level. E go all di way to di top, but dem go do evri tin to cover am up. Capello na scapegoat. Na di heads for di top suppose dey roll.”

Anoda footballer, wey we go call Julien, tell BBC say dem also abuse am from di age of 14. Im play for Gabon national team for several years and believe say di number of boys wey dey affected dey hard to imagine.

"I no know how many coaches dey abuse boys, but for a moment make we look at Capello alone. Na di most well-known and im don dey do am for di last 25 or 30 years. Evri year im get access to at least 50 boys, if e no even pass dat number,” e tok.

"Now make we consider how many odas dey part of dat network. We dey tok about thousands of boys.”

Despite calls for Fegafoot chief Pierre-Alain Mounguengui to resign, e still dey in charge and dem re-elect am for April 2022.

Oga Alves believe say dem suppose don suspend am: "Di severity of di alleged cover-up suppose don trigger automatic suspension, temporary suspension, before di election.”

As head of Fegafoot, Oga Mounguengui fit dey considered incompetent say im no sabi wetin dey happun, or e fit dey guilty say im dey cover up years of reported abuse, Oga Alves tok.

Three weeks afta im re-election, Oga Mounguengui chop arrest and accuse say im “fail to report crimes of paedophilia". Unlike Capello, Fifa no suspend am, and im continue to manage Fegafoot from prison.

Fifa child safeguarding policy tok say: "To suspend staff member from im/her duties wen external investigation dey go on suppose be standard practice.”

Like Ndong, former Gabon international Rémy Ebanega wey set up di kontri first professional football players union for 2014 na one of di few figures for Gabonese football wey feel say e fit tok openly. E imsef no dey abused but e tok say im get plenty friends wey be victims of abuse.

"Di local justice system don put di president of di federation for prison, and Fifa no do anytin. Why dem no also suspend am wen investigation dey go on like dem do for Capello?” e tok.

"Im continue to dey manage di federation while im dey for prison. I no tink dat kain tin don eva happun elsewhere.”

For May 2022, Fifa formally suspend Capello, two oda coaches and di football league head, but dem no sanction Oga Mounguengui.

Meanwhile, di Confederation of African Football (Caf) tok say Oga Mounguengui dey considered innocent until proven guilty and write to Gabon den Sports Minister Franck Nguema for April 2022 to question di detention. Caf president Patrice Motsepe bin visit di Fegafoot boss for jail four months later.

After almost six months for prison, dem release Oga Mounguengui provisionally. Three weeks later, for di opening of di Fifa 2022 World Cup for Qatar, dem picture am hugging di Caf president.

Ebanega tok say di invite to Qatar by Fifa boss Gianni Infantino make am feel like say football world govning bodi dey satisfied wit Fegafoot performance: "Shey na dis tin you call job well done? For di federation not to act on sexual abuse?”

Three months ago, dem re-elect Oga Mounguengui to di highest ranks of Caf as member of dia executive committee. Last week, dem picture am alongside Caf executives for Cairo for di Africa Cup of Nation hosts announcement.

Nearly two years afta dem expose di allegations for international media, many senior figures for Fegafoot remain for power.

"I believe di system dey able to continue sake of say notin don change,” Ebanega tok.

Real fear dey among many young pipo wey speak to di BBC about di alleged abuse wey children fit still experience.

"I dey convinced say di abuse still dey happun,” Julien tok.

We put di allegations for BBC Africa Eye documentary to Fegafoot, Caf and Fifa. All of dem strongly condemn child abuse wey dey in any form.

Fegafoot and Oga Mounguengui deny all di allegations against dem and dem tok say appropriate action dey taken immediate any allegation of sexual abuse for Gabonese football go public.

Dem tok say dem no recognise any criticism of di investigation wey Fegafoot ethics committee set up for December 2021 since dem set am up according to di federation regulations.

Fifa and Caf deny all allegations against dem, and tok say di Fifa investigation wey dem formalise for May 2022 still dey go on.

Both bodies emphasise say dem handle all dia investigation according to di requirements of Fifa Code of ethics, di Court of Arbitration for Sport, di European Court of Human Rights and Swiss law.

Caf tok say Oga Motsepe bin visit Gabon primarily to emphasise di organisation zero tolerance to sexual abuse and to support investigating authorities.

Dem tok say Mounguengui na guest at di World Cup wen Oga Motsepe greet am and im no get pending charges against am.

Oga Nguema, wey no longer be sports minister afta di coup of last month, strongly deny say pesin inform am about di sexual abuse allegations before e become public.

You fit watch di full BBC Africa Eye documentary Predators on the Pitch: Inside Africa's Biggest Football Scandal on di BBC Africa YouTube channel.