Report: Haiti FA President Accused of Sexually Abusing Young Players

Yves Jean-Bart, the president of the Haitian football federation since 2000, has been accused of sexually abusing young female players at the country's national training center, according to the Guardian's Ed Aarons, Romain Molina and Alex Cizmic.

Per the Guardian, Jean-Bart—known by many as "Dadou"—denies the accusations that he coerced several players at the Centre Technique National in Croix-des-Bouquets into having sex.

“There is a lady who works there who puts pressure on the girls to have sex with Dadou,” one alleged victim told the Guardian. “He will see a nice girl who is attractive and he sends the lady to tell her that she is going to be thrown out of the centre. She starts crying and then the lady says: ‘The only way to resolve this is to speak to Dadou.’ At that moment, the young girl has no choice but to put up with the sexual abuse.”

The incidents alleged were said to have taken place within the last five years.

According to reports, several players have left the center after being coerced by Jean-Bart into having sex with him, including one player who was forced to have an abortion.

In comments to the Guardian, Jean-Bart said there had “never been any complaint against the federation, nor against the staff engaged in our academy, nor against my person. This kind of practice of sexual abuse is almost impossible in our camp centre given the physical structures, the principles of education and continuous awareness that we have put in place.”

One alleged victim said Jean-Bart has tried to keep the allegations "quiet." Another alleged victim added that "There are a lot of people who want to talk but they’re so afraid, especially for the parents who are still in Haiti."

This past February, Jean-Bart was elected for president of the Haitian Federation for the sixth time. His current term is set to run through 2024.