Djibouti federation disputes Waberi removal vote after police intervention

Djibouti's football federation has challenged the legitimacy of a meeting held to remove president Souleiman Waberi and his executive committee after police occupied its headquarters on Monday. The Guardian reported that club representatives voted to replace the leadership, while the federation rejected the assembly and appealed to Fifa and the Confederation of African Football (Caf).

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According to the federation, known as the FDF, police initially entered its national technical centre on Sunday at about 5.30pm without producing a court order or administrative document. It said a larger contingent arrived on Monday and instructed Waberi, executive committee members, employees and other federation members to leave the building.

The FDF said 16 club presidents subsequently entered with a police escort and held the disputed assembly. It argued that the meeting had not followed the notice requirements and procedures in its statutes and electoral code. However, sources in Djibouti told the Guardian that the required number of delegates attended, unanimously voted to remove the leadership and established an interim committee.

The confrontation followed a campaign launched in early September, when 27 clubs said they had enough support to seek the executive committee's removal. The federation contested their calculation, saying its membership totalled 67 and that 45 members were needed to trigger an extraordinary assembly. More clubs and delegates later joined the campaign, and secretary of state for sport Fatouma Ali Abdallah ordered the FDF to convene a meeting within 72 hours.

In its appeal to Fifa and Caf, the federation argued that using state security forces to displace elected officials could amount to interference in football administration. It warned of possible suspension, exclusion of Djibouti's clubs and national teams from international competitions, and disruption to development funding. Those were potential consequences raised by the federation, not sanctions announced in the report. The Guardian said it had sought Fifa's comment.

Waberi sits on both Fifa's council and Caf's executive committee. The Guardian also reported that he and other officials could face charges this week following a police investigation involving suspected embezzlement and money laundering. Waberi has denied wrongdoing and previously said Fifa's monitoring had found no indication of misuse of the funds it provided. The report did not confirm that charges had been brought.