Eliminated on the field by the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the African playoffs, Nigeria filed a complaint with FIFA against their rival for allegedly using athletes under irregular conditions during the Qualifiers.
A possible punishment could secure the presence of the Super Eagles in the final of the world playoff against New Caledonia or Jamaica, vying for a spot in the 2026 World Cup.Â
The Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) questions the eligibility of some athletes who were born in European countries but adopted the nationality of the Democratic Republic of the Congo to represent the country in official tournaments.Â
According to the Nigerian complaint, between six and nine athletes did not complete the process of renouncing their European passports, which is a requirement of Congolese law, before being able to represent the country.
“Congo’s rules state that dual nationality is not allowed. There are many players with European passports, some French, others Dutch. The rules are very clear. We can’t say much now, but we have already submitted our protest to FIFA,” said Mohammed Sanusi, the secretary-general of the NFF.
In Nigeria’s view, the highest football authority was misled into allowing the presence of athletes supposedly ineligible to play:
“FIFA’s rules are different from those of the DR Congo, which is why FIFA cleared them. FIFA’s regulations state that once you have your country’s passport, you are eligible. For FIFA, they are eligible, and that’s why they were cleared.“
Nigeria has already benefited from a punishment in the group stage of the Qualifiers after South Africa lost three points due to the inclusion of Teboho Mokoena, who should have served a suspension, against Lesotho.
This punishment gave the team of Osimhen & Co. real chances of direct qualification to the World Cup with two rounds remaining – they were virtually eliminated.Â
The spot went to South Africa itself, but Nigeria secured one of the best second places and defeated Gabon before facing the Leopards for Africa’s spot in the world playoff.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo seeks to compete in only the second World Cup in its history.
It was only present in 1974 when it was still called Zaire, and it fell into Brazil’s group. They lost all three games without scoring any goals.
Nigeria, on the other hand, has participated in the World Cup six times, advancing to the round of 16 in 1994, 1998, and 2014. They last participated in 2018, in Russia.Â
Photos: Football Federation of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.
About the Author
