Libreville, April 17, 2025 — The Gabon Football Federation has cleared the outstanding debt owed to former national team coach Patrice Neveu, just five days after the initial deadline passed, according to Gabonese daily L’Union.
The payment, which was confirmed by the Ministry of Sports, was processed by the National Treasury through the Bank of Central African States (BEAC) and the Bank of France. The funds were officially transferred on Wednesday, April 16, 2025, at 8:51 a.m., with the amount expected to reflect in Neveu’s account today.
“Mr. Neveu has been paid in full,” L’Union reported, quoting confirmation from Sports Ministry officials.
The first installment of €131,106.15 (approximately KES 18 million), initially due on April 11, had not been wired in time, placing Gabon at risk of sanctions from FIFA. The delay had sparked fears of point deductions or other penalties that could have jeopardized the country’s ambitions in the ongoing 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
FIFA had ordered Gabon to compensate Neveu a total of €522,000 following his abrupt dismissal in 2023. The French coach, who led the Gabon Panthers from 2019, had his contract terminated prematurely despite being contracted through 2025. His sacking followed the team’s failure to qualify for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.
After protracted salary disputes, Neveu filed a case with FIFA, which ruled in his favor and demanded that Gabon settle the full amount. Following negotiations between FIFA and Gabon’s Sports Minister Patrick Barbera, a payment plan was agreed upon, allowing the federation to complete the compensation in four structured installments.
The timely resolution of the first payment is expected to ease tensions between the federation and FIFA, ensuring Gabon’s continued participation in the qualifiers remains unaffected.
