The Burundian Football Federation (FFB) has announced tough sanctions against match fixing offenders in the country.
The federation has imposed a fine of 10 million Burundian Francs and a five-year ban, against football players found guilty of match-fixing.
The controversy centers around six players from Académie Deira, their technical director, and a player from Inter Star, who were allegedly involved in accepting bribes to manipulate a match between the 2013 Council of East and Central Africa Football Associations (CECAFA) club champions Vital’o FC and Académie Deira in 2024.
The FFB’s Disciplinary and Ethics Commission said that the sanctions followed a detailed investigation and court trial, during which the accused players admitted to receiving money from criminal networks in exchange for deliberately influencing match outcomes. On September 15, 2024, Académie Deira faced Vital’o FC, with Vital’o securing a 3-0 victory.
Académie Deira’s management conducted its own inquiry following the match and uncovered that several players were engaged in match-fixing activities. The team promptly reported the findings to the FFB, which initiated its own investigation. Jean Marie Vianney Nijimbere, a communication officer for the team, explained, “We conducted an investigation, and we found that those players were involved in betting. What we did was to report it to the FFB, who investigated and then referred the case to the authorities. These are the decisions that came from the court case.”
The FFB’s statement highlighted the severe impact of such manipulations on the integrity of the 2024-2025 Primus League Championship, labeling the acts as “criminal activities.” The manipulation reportedly involved both external and internal actors, with those close to the players orchestrating the illegal activities.
The report elaborated on how the match-fixing operation unfolded: “The manipulation operation begins as soon as a match is scheduled on 1X Bet. External partners provide money to their internal collaborators, who are responsible for bribing players and coaches to intentionally lose matches with pre-arranged scores.” These schemes could involve fixed outcomes for the entire match, a specific half, or even a predetermined minute of play.
One of the accused, Epimaque Nzoyisaba, Académie Deira’s goalkeeper, admitted to receiving 8 million Burundian Francs from an individual named Morisho Kibasomba to fix the match between Deira and Vital’o FC. Epimaque also revealed he was contacted by another suspect, Alain, who offered him 20 million Francs to fix a match between Deira and Olympic Star, ensuring a six-goal loss for Deira. However, the latter scheme was foiled when some players refused to take part.
The statement further indicated that the guilty players collectively received 830,000 Burundian Francs from Epimaque for their role in the Deira-Vital’o match-fixing.
In March 2025, during a court hearing, the lawyers representing the guilty players admitted to the charges, though four of the convicted players were absent. The verdict was met with approval from the Académie Deira team, which stated that it would comply with the court and federation’s decisions. However, they have requested compensation for the resources spent on the case, although the specific amount has not yet been disclosed. “We are waiting to be compensated for the damage caused because we used many resources,” said Nijimbere.
According to Article 39 of the FFB Disciplinary and Ethics Code, those found guilty of match-fixing or manipulation are subject to a 10 million Burundian Franc fine and a five-year ban from football-related activities. In severe cases, the ban can be extended indefinitely or even be made permanent. The fine will take effect on May 10, 2025, with the convicted individuals allowed to file an appeal between March 10 and March 15, 2025. Failure to pay the fine on time will result in a lifetime ban from all football-related activities.
Earlier this year, the FFB issued a stern warning to club officials and coaches about the severe consequences of match-fixing in the Primus League.
Youssouf Mossi, who is responsible for organizing competitions within the federation, emphasized that match-fixing undermines the development of Burundian football and negatively impacts clubs. Mossi also noted that the practice of deliberately losing matches due to involvement in sports betting had become a growing concern.
