Benin: FBF Sounds the Alarm After Cheetahs’ Debacle

Benin’s football is experiencing a period of turbulence. Following the 0-2 defeat of the Benin Cheetahs against South Africa, in the 6th matchday of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, the Beninese Football Federation (FBF) convened a meeting with national coach Gernot Rohr. The goal: to identify the problems and find solutions before the next African Cup of Nations (CAN) in 2025.
Mathurin De Chacus, president of the FBF, expressed his anger. “This defeat has created more problems. Today, Beninese people love to go to the stadium and follow their team. Starting a competition with a defeat is unacceptable. We need to understand why and make corrections,” he said. He recalled the efforts of Patrice Talon’s government to develop national football. “We cannot accumulate defeats and claim to be a team. We have financial support, now it’s up to us to do what is necessary,” he insisted.
Facing pressure, Gernot Rohr appeared before the FBF members to give an update. “We had a useful exchange on our collaboration, the last match, and the organization in general,” the German coach explained. According to him, the situation is not that catastrophic. “In the last ten matches, we have four wins, three draws, and three losses against big teams. There are things to improve, particularly in the organization of travel and equipment,” he specified.
Mathurin De Chacus remains intransigent. “We cannot have the team we had in Ivory Coast and expect victories. We need to improve many things,” he concluded.
The upcoming matches of the 2025 CAN will be crucial to assess the adjustments made by the technical staff and see if the Beninese public’s confidence can be restored.