Véron Mosengo-Omba, the man set to become president of the Democratic Republic of the Congo's football federation Fecofa, is facing serious allegations of bullying and intimidation directed at members of the Confederation of African Football's audit and compliance committee (AACC).

The allegations stem from a two-hour meeting that took place on 19 October 2024, during which Mosengo-Omba — at the time serving as CAF general secretary — is alleged to have threatened to sue AACC members and report them to the FIFA ethics committee. The trigger, according to those present, was the committee's endorsement of a 2023-24 governance, risk and compliance (GRC) report that was sharply critical of Mosengo-Omba's conduct.

A Meeting Described as Going to War

The Guardian, which has listened to a recording of the meeting, spoke to an AACC member who was present. Their account paints a picture of a session that quickly turned confrontational.

"First of all Véron called this meeting instead of our chair," the member said. "Three minutes into it, he is talking about suing us if we report that there are issues in the financial statements. We started asking questions, and boom, we were suddenly at war with the secretary general's office."

The source also raised concerns about the composition of those attending, noting that the head of legal, Felix Majani — who has since resigned — was present rather than the head of governance, Hannan Nur. "A committee meeting should only have the members and the secretary general," the AACC member said, adding that they had considered resigning on multiple occasions but did not want to leave the committee in disarray.

The GRC Report at the Centre of the Row

The nine-page 2023-24 GRC report, authored by Nur, is at the heart of the dispute. In the document, Nur writes that she was "obstructed" in completing her compliance duties and that there was "undue interference in GRC work" from Mosengo-Omba's office. She describes governance documents — including a compliance handbook and code of conduct — being held back by the general secretary's office for the best part of a year.

"The constant obstruction addresses an overall perception of widespread mistrust which fuels beliefs of professional inadequacy and incompetency," Nur wrote in the report.

Nur was subsequently dismissed and is now suing CAF for victimisation and unfair dismissal. The AACC member told the Guardian that Mosengo-Omba claimed the report amounted to a campaign of "calumny" against him and warned it could attract FIFA sanctions for those who had endorsed it.

Denials and Silence

Mosengo-Omba did not respond to the Guardian's request for comment on the specific allegations. He has previously denied any wrongdoing, stating that he has "acted with full integrity" and insisting that "independent investigations will expose the falsity" of the claims made against him.

The Guardian also approached AACC chair Mohammed Zaazi of Morocco and other committee members for their account of the October 2024 meeting, but none had responded at the time of publication.

With Mosengo-Omba the sole candidate for the Fecofa presidency, his election looks a formality — but these allegations, now a matter of public record, hang over that process. For those inside African football governance watching how CAF handles accountability in its own house, the noises out of this episode will be difficult to ignore.

Frequently asked

Who is Véron Mosengo-Omba?
Véron Mosengo-Omba is a football administrator who served as CAF general secretary and is now the sole candidate to become president of Fecofa, the Democratic Republic of the Congo's national football federation.
What is CAF's audit and compliance committee?
CAF's audit and compliance committee (AACC) is an oversight body within the Confederation of African Football responsible for reviewing financial statements, governance and compliance matters across the organisation.
What did the CAF governance report say about Mosengo-Omba?
The 2023-24 governance, risk and compliance report, written by CAF's head of governance Hannan Nur, alleged that Mosengo-Omba's office obstructed her work and engaged in "undue interference" in compliance duties, including holding back key governance documents for nearly a year.