The Nigeria Football Federation says it has not received any decision from FIFA on its petition challenging the eligibility of some DR Congo players used in the 2026 World Cup African play off, insisting the case remains under review. This follows reports claiming that world football’s governing body had rejected Nigeria’s appeal after the Super Eagles lost on penalties to DR Congo following a 1–1 draw in November’s play off final.
NFF Secretary General, Dr Mohammed Sanusi, said in an interview on AIT that FIFA has not communicated any verdict to the federation. He explained that if FIFA takes a decision, it will formally notify the NFF, adding that checks on official email channels have not shown any such correspondence.
Sanusi queried the source of media claims that the case had been dismissed and challenged those making the assertions to produce evidence of a FIFA letter. He stressed that only direct communication from FIFA can be considered authoritative on the matter.
Nigeria’s petition alleges that several DR Congo players fielded in the play off, including Aaron Wan Bissaka and Axel Tuanzebe, were ineligible under both FIFA rules and Congolese nationality law. The NFF argues that Congolese law does not permit dual citizenship, yet some of the players reportedly hold European passports, and that FIFA was misled during their clearance process.
“Our contention is that FIFA was deceived into clearing them,” Sanusi said earlier, describing the situation as fraudulent and insisting that nine players were under scrutiny. The federation says it has submitted documents and legal arguments to support its position and is awaiting a formal response from Zurich.
The DR Congo Football Federation has dismissed Nigeria’s complaint as an attempt to overturn the result through administrative means. In messages on its official platforms, Fecofa urged Nigeria to “play the World Cup with dignity and confidence, not with lawyer tricks,” labelling the petition the reaction of “bad losers.”
Under FIFA statutes, players may change the national association they represent only once, subject to an approved request to the Players’ Status Committee, and national eligibility must also comply with domestic citizenship laws. When protests are lodged, FIFA can dismiss the case for lack of evidence, impose fines or warnings, or in serious situations apply sporting sanctions such as forfeitures and the award of matches to opponents.
Past cases show that eligibility breaches can carry heavy consequences. South Africa lost points in 2026 World Cup qualifying for fielding a suspended player, while Equatorial Guinea were punished over the status of forward Emilio Nsue, with defeats overturned to 3–0 technical losses even though a later ruling confirmed his eligibility without restoring the deducted points.
Nigeria is hoping a favourable FIFA ruling could revive its path to the intercontinental play offs for the 2026 World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the United States. Any sporting sanction against DR Congo could alter the African play off outcome if FIFA upholds the NFF’s claims.
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