Ranked 179th in the FIFA rankings, Chad is one of the weakest footballing nations on the African continent (48th out of 54). "There is nevertheless genuine potential," laments former coach Emmanuel Tregoat, who led the Sao to victory in the CEMAC Cup (a tournament bringing together Central African nations for local players) in 2014. "We had the potential to build and eventually become a team capable of competing for qualification in the Africa Cup of Nations. Unfortunately, there were too many problems and interferences off the field to envision that."
The situation has come to a dramatic head.
On November 30, 2023, the elections of the Fédération Tchadienne de Football Association (FTFA) are scheduled to take place. However, an order from the Tribunal de Grande Instance of N'Djamena has suspended the elections due to confusion surrounding various candidatures. This has provoked the displeasure of FIFA, which supports the election of single-candidate, namely the businessman Ibrahim Wang Laouna Foullah, who is currently on bail awaiting trial for alleged corruption and embezzlement of public funds.
