Why FIFA Shifts DR Congo Federation Elections From March To May

Why FIFA Shifts DR Congo Federation Elections From March To May

By Niyi Busari 

The Fédération Internationale de Football Association has extended the mandate of the Normalisation Committee overseeing the Fédération Congolaise de Football Association until April 15, 2026, as part of efforts to complete long-delayed reforms and organise credible elections for the Congolese football governing body, BSNSports.com.ng reports. 

FIFA also confirmed that the federation’s elections, originally scheduled for March 2026, have now been postponed to May 2026 due to administrative and financial constraints affecting the electoral process. 

According to correspondence sent to FECOFA officials, the delay is linked to several operational challenges, including unresolved financial issues involving the federation’s former equipment supplier and the absence of fully functional bank accounts needed to fund the election process. These complications have made it difficult to implement the previously announced electoral timetable. 

During the transition period, the federation’s daily activities will continue to be supervised by the Normalisation Committee while administrative oversight of the electoral process will be coordinated by the federation’s Secretary General and the two commissions responsible for organising the elections. 

The Normalisation Committee, currently led by Belinda Luntadila Nzuzi, was established by FIFA to stabilise the administration of Congolese football and oversee reforms aimed at restoring normal governance within FECOFA. The committee’s mandate includes managing the federation’s day-to-day affairs, restructuring its electoral framework and ensuring that elections for a new executive committee are conducted transparently. 

As part of the revised electoral roadmap, elections at several national football bodies—including youth, women’s and professional leagues—are expected to precede the vote for a new FECOFA executive committee, which will mark the end of the normalisation period and restore fully elected leadership to the federation. 

The repeated extensions of the committee’s mandate highlight the governance challenges facing Congolese football in recent years, with FIFA and the Confederation of African Football working alongside local stakeholders to stabilise the federation and ensure a credible electoral process. 

If the new timetable proceeds as planned, May 2026 will mark the first time in several years that the federation elects a fully constituted executive leadership following a prolonged period of administrative oversight.