D. Faye, director of the Bandia football center, was finally acquitted by the Mbour High Court. He was charged with indecent assault, unnatural acts, and fraud, following accusations by one of his 18-year-old residents. The latter accused him of having sexual relations with him on two occasions. Upon hearing the verdict, D. Faye shouted to his accusers: "Bayi nalen ak Yalla."

As a reminder, S. Camara, the young complainant's father, had registered his son for a training camp at the football center located in Sindia. The young man, full of football talent, was registered as a boarder at the end of his one-month training camp. Having heard about a trip planned by the center, S. Camara wanted his son to participate to increase his chances of being spotted by a club. He paid the accused 400,000 FCFA out of a total amount of 500,000 FCFA for participation fees.

Having waited too long for a trip that never came, SM Camara, the young resident, decided to leave the center. He explained to his father that the managers were not serious. He went further by telling his father that he had been sexually abused by the center's director. The young resident recounts that one night, around 4 a.m., his supervisor asked him to rub shea butter on his penis, claiming to want to treat a sore adductor.

He claims to have had contact with him twice before refusing a third time. S. Camara, who went to the center, demanded his money back without raising the issue of his son's abuse. It was only days later that he decided to file a complaint.

D. Faye's Defense

For his part, D. Faye categorically rejects the accusations and speaks of a plot orchestrated by S. Camara and his son to harm his reputation. He maintains that the facts are fabricated and that it is a settling of scores linked to the 400,000 FCFA paid. According to him, the Camara family is trying to recover the money owed to the center while he owed them two monthly payments in return. The accused points out that he has worked at the academy since 2014 without ever having been the subject of a similar complaint. His lawyer, Aboubacry Deh, denounced a "legal insecurity" where, according to him, "at any time, one can go to prison for false accusations."

He believes that the father's behavior, remaining silent despite the alleged facts, and the lack of a medical certificate make the plaintiffs' version of events implausible. For the defense, this case is based on obvious bad faith. "The father and son invented a false story to avoid paying the amount owed to the center," argued Mr. Deh. The prosecutor requested that the law be applied. This Tuesday, D. Faye was acquitted by the court.