El-hadji diouf handed suspended sentence for unpaid child support in Senegal

Football legend El-Hadji Diouf has been handed a suspended one-year prison sentence in Dakar for failing to meet his child support obligations. The ruling, delivered by the local magistrates’ court, follows a long-standing dispute over unpaid alimony for his daughter.

legal battle over unpaid child support

The court also mandated the former Senegal international to pay 10 million CFA francs (around €15,244) in compensation to his ex-wife, Valérie Émilie Joséphine Leres Bishop. The claim included 9 million CFA francs in arrears from March 2024 to September 2025, along with 559,200 CFA francs for meal expenses during the same period.

court-mandated obligations

This isn’t the first time the two-time African Ballon d’Or winner (2001, 2002) has faced legal repercussions. In July 2023, the same court finalized the couple’s divorce, granting custody of their daughter to the mother while imposing a monthly alimony payment of 500,000 CFA francs for the child’s upkeep. Despite the court order, Diouf allegedly neglected these financial responsibilities, prompting further legal action.

The former Senegal national team striker, who earned 60 caps and scored 18 goals for the Lions of Teranga, now faces the consequences of his non-compliance with the court’s directives.