Football legend El-Hadji Diouf has been handed a one-year suspended prison sentence by a Dakar court following his failure to meet child support obligations for his daughter.
The ruling, delivered on May 12, 2026, comes after a legal battle that exposed years of unpaid maintenance payments. The court also ordered him to pay 10 million FCFA (€15,244) in damages to his former spouse, Valérie Émilie Joséphine Leres Bishop.
The dispute centered on accumulated arrears totaling 9 million FCFA spanning from March 2024 to September 2025, alongside an additional 559,200 FCFA claimed for meal expenses during the same period. These demands were formally presented by the child’s mother, who had been awarded full custody in the 2023 divorce settlement.
Under the initial court order established in July 2023, Diouf was required to pay a monthly allowance of 500,000 FCFA for their daughter’s upbringing. Despite this legal obligation, payments were allegedly withheld, prompting the current legal proceedings.
The former Senegal international, celebrated for his two African Ballon d’Or titles (2001 and 2002) and 60 caps with the Lions of Teranga, now faces serious financial and legal repercussions for his non-compliance with family court rulings.
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