For the second time in a month, France’s Minister of Sports and Culture has appeared before the Senate to address growing concerns over misconduct within the French Karate Federation. The inquiry, led by Senator Michel Savin of Isère, has exposed deep-rooted governance failures within the federation. Separately, similar issues have been reported in national karate federations across several countries, including Georgia, Senegal, Kosovo, Iran, Mexico, Peru, and Ecuador, suggesting a broader international pattern of mismanagement.
At the heart of these scandals lies a pattern of power consolidation, opaque management, and alleged corruption. In several cases, long-serving leaders have entrenched themselves within federations, often without transparent oversight or democratic accountability.
In France, the National Olympic and Sports Committee has refused to recognize Bruno Verfailie as president of the French Karate Federation, citing electoral irregularities and his close ties to Francis Didier, arguably the most influential figure in French karate. Didier is also a executive member of the European Karate Federation and a long-time ally of World Karate Federation president Antonio Espinós. He has held power in French and world karate circles for decades.
During Senate hearings, Sports Minister Marie Barsacq warned that the ministry could suspend the federation if it failed to implement governance reforms. In a follow-up session, she reaffirmed the government’s position, highlighting entrenched corruption as a serious threat to the integrity of karate.
Francis Didier and Antonio Espinos
But Didier is only part of a broader pattern. Antonio Espinós, who has led both the World and European Karate Federations for more than 25 years, has never faced an open election. Observers say his allies have used their influence to block reforms, suppress dissent, and consolidate control in numerous countries.
In Mexico, a bitter leadership feud has fractured the national karate federation, triggering unprecedented public demonstrations. The dispute between Samantha Desciderio Olvera and Oscar Godínez Balbás erupted into the streets in February 2025, when athletes and coaches staged coordinated protests in Mexico City. Key intersections were blocked, including Camino Street in Santa Teresa and the Insurgentes Sur–San Fernando junction, bringing Metrobus Line 1 to a standstill. Protesters accused Desciderio of corruption and extortion, demanding her immediate removal from office. Their grievances carried particular weight given her influential roles, she serves as executive board member and Assistant Treasurer of the Pan American Karate Federation and has held a seat on the WKF Executive Committee since 2022. One banner captured the mood of the crowd: “Samantha, stop misleading the authorities. You’ve already taken too much from Mexican karate. We won’t let you continue your criminal conduct.”
Protesters speak out against corruption in Mexican Karate
Cover-Up of corruption in Karate
Senegal presents another troubling case. In 2024, Souleymane Gaye became president of the African Karate Federation, ending 17 years of leadership under Algerian official Mohamed Tahar Mesbahi. However, Gaye’s close relationship with Antonio Espinós and his national federation’s scandals have raised serious questions. At a general assembly on June 30, 2023, Senegalese federation officials were accused of embezzling approximately 10 million CFA francs, equal to about 15,000 euros, in athlete bonuses. Instead of removing those accused, the federation suspended whistleblowers, including Bescaye Diop, president of the Dakar regional league.
Diop later filed a formal complaint with Senegal’s National Office for the Fight Against Fraud and Corruption and wrote to the Minister of Sports, describing the leadership as dishonest, corrupt, and self-serving. His intervention led to the recovery of 3.2 million CFA francs, repaid by one member of the executive and returned to the state in September 2024. In April 2025, federation president Mohamed El Mokhtar Diop and three associates avoided detention by posting bail that included 7 million CFA francs in cash and a property deed. Investigators discovered that bonuses had been allocated to non-existent athletes. The federation’s treasurer has since vanished and remains missing.
A similar reckoning unfolded in Kosovo, where a wave of arrests in December 2024 targeted senior figures in the national karate federation. These detentions were part of a wider anti-corruption effort in sport.
In Iran, Hassan Tabatabaei was removed as president of the national federation following a court decision that found serious irregularities in the election process. He was replaced by Mazdak Soofi, who was appointed directly by the Minister of Sports without holding a formal election. Since then, Soofi has postponed new elections for more than seven months and has restructured the leadership, placing his loyalists in top roles. This has sparked widespread criticism within Iran’s karate community, with many questioning his legitimacy and motives.
From Paris to Dakar, Tehran to Mexico City, the sport of karate is facing a global crisis. The calls for reform are growing louder, but whether WKF leaders will act remains uncertain. For now, the swamp remains undrained.
