This Saturday, October 18, 2025, the Burkinabe Football Federation (FBF) denied a rumor according to which the president of the institution had declared that the World Cup excluded, among others, the AES countries.

In a statement published on the official FBF website , the body firmly refutes this allegation while denouncing the spread of false news.

It draws the public's attention to the need to verify sources of information before relaying them.

It's worth noting that no AES countries have qualified for this World Cup. They are not among the four best runners-up for the play-offs. Therefore, this World Cup is beyond their reach.

The AES (Alliance of Sahel States) is made up of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger.

Here is the press release

The Burkinabe Football Federation informs national and international public opinion that a publication circulating on the Facebook page called "Les Ablasseries du Faso" presents a photo of the President of the Federation, Oumarou Sawadogo, accompanied by comments he allegedly made during an alleged interview, in which he allegedly declared that "the FIFA World Cup in America is a cup of imperialism which excludes countries like Russia, Nicaragua, the AES countries...".

The FBF wishes to clarify that these statements are completely false and defamatory. President Oumarou Sawadogo has not given any interviews since the end of the qualifiers and has never made such statements, which are contrary to the spirit of sport, sports diplomacy, and the values defended by the Federation.

The Burkinabe Football Federation strongly denounces and condemns this attempt to manipulate and poison public opinion by malicious individuals or pages seeking to tarnish the image of the FBF and sow discord in the Burkinabe football family.

The FBF warns the authors of this publication and reserves the right to take any legal action necessary to put an end to these harmful practices.

The Federation also invites supporters, journalists and Internet users to be vigilant and to check sources of information before any broadcast or comment.