A coach in the Democratic Republic of the Congo who received a 20-year ban from football by FIFA for sexual abuse of a minor is continuing to work with young players — more than two years after the governing body's own disciplinary panel handed down its ruling.

Jonathan Bukabakwa, widely known in local football circles as Messi, was sanctioned by FIFA in March 2023 following an investigation that found him guilty of sexual abuse. Alongside the lengthy ban, he was fined 100,000 Swiss francs. Bukabakwa had also faced criminal proceedings in the DRC itself, having been convicted of similar offences by local authorities, though he was released from prison last year.

Still on the training pitch

Despite the severity of those sanctions, Bukabakwa has been regularly spotted coaching a group of young players at Esperanto, a club based in the Limete district of Kinshasa. Multiple local sources have confirmed his presence, with one contact putting it bluntly: "Messi? He's still coaching, you can easily meet him with his team. He doesn't hide."

When approached for comment, Bukabakwa did not deny that he is continuing to coach. He denied the original allegations and, remarkably, claimed he had never been informed of his FIFA ban. "They never told me anything," he said. "They never questioned me or sent me anything." FIFA did not respond to a request for comment on this claim.

In its 2023 statement announcing the ban, FIFA said the decision was taken "in line with Fifa's zero tolerance approach to all forms of abuse in football" and pointed to updates made to its regulatory framework to offer greater protection to victims of discrimination, sexual abuse and harassment.

A systemic failure in safeguarding

The case shines an uncomfortable light on the practical limits of FIFA's safeguarding processes. A ban is only as effective as the mechanisms put in place to enforce it — and in this instance, those mechanisms appear to have broken down entirely.

The noises out of Fecofa, the Congolese football federation, suggest at least some urgency has now been injected into the situation. Véron Mosengo-Omba, who was elected as Fecofa president in May after stepping down as general secretary of the Confederation of African Football, has summoned both Bukabakwa and the president of Esperanto to a meeting following the story coming to light.

"We have zero tolerance for this kind of behaviour," Mosengo-Omba said. "We will punish anyone involved in this kind of conduct." He added: "We will make sure that no one who is behaving like this will be involved in football in this country. It's an absolute priority for us."

A pattern of inaction

Bukabakwa's case does not stand alone. He was one of six coaches provisionally suspended by Fecofa in November 2022 following media allegations of widespread sexual abuse in Congolese football. A subsequent investigation cleared all six, with the finding attributed to a lack of proven evidence. No further action was taken by either Fecofa or FIFA against the other coaches at that time.

Fecofa itself had been operating under a FIFA-appointed normalisation committee from 2023 until Mosengo-Omba's election this year. The incoming president has pledged to re-establish a disciplinary committee and revisit the earlier cases — a commitment that will be watched closely by those monitoring child safeguarding standards across African football.

For now, the fact that a coach carrying both a criminal conviction and a 20-year FIFA ban can continue working openly with young players in a capital city represents a profound failure — not just of local governance, but of the global system that produced the ban and then, apparently, walked away.

Frequently asked

Why is Jonathan Bukabakwa still coaching if he has a FIFA ban?
FIFA issued the ban in March 2023 but enforcement relies on national federations. In this case, it appears neither FIFA nor Fecofa put adequate measures in place to prevent Bukabakwa from continuing to work with young players in Kinshasa.
What is FIFA's safeguarding policy on banned coaches?
FIFA states it has a zero-tolerance approach to sexual abuse in football and has updated its regulatory framework to protect victims. However, this case illustrates that bans can go unenforced at ground level if monitoring systems are not in place.
What action is being taken now against Bukabakwa?
Fecofa president Véron Mosengo-Omba has summoned Bukabakwa and the president of the club Esperanto to a meeting. Mosengo-Omba has pledged zero tolerance and promised to re-establish a disciplinary committee to address ongoing cases.