The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has maintained that it has not received any decision from FIFA on its petition challenging the eligibility of some Democratic Republic of Congo players used during their 2026 World Cup African play-off clash, insisting that the matter remains under review.
The federation was reacting to reports suggesting that world football’s governing body had rejected Nigeria’s appeal following the Super Eagles’ 4–3 penalty defeat to DR Congo after a 1–1 draw in the play-off final in November.
Speaking on the issue, the NFF Secretary General, Dr Mohammed Sanusi, said no official communication had been received from FIFA on the status of the petition.
“The Nigeria Football Federation wrote a petition to FIFA on the eligibility of some of the players of DR Congo, and if there is anything, FIFA will reply to the NFF,” Sanusi said during an interview on AIT.
“The NFF has not received any letter from FIFA saying they have thrown away our petition. We have checked our emails, and there was no letter from FIFA.
“I don’t know where they got their information from. If there is any such letter, let them show it, unless they have someone in FIFA giving them information ahead of official communication.”
Nigeria’s petition centres on claims that some players fielded by DR Congo during the play-off were ineligible under both FIFA regulations and Congolese national law. The NFF has argued that certain players, including Aaron Wan-
Bissaka and Axel Tuanzebe, who featured in the match, should not have been cleared because Congolese law does not permit dual citizenship.
“Our contention is that FIFA was deceived into clearing them,” Sanusi said in an earlier statement. “The Congolese rule (law) says you cannot have dual nationality, but some of their players have European and French passports.
“What we consider to be a breach of FIFA regulations is there. We are saying it is fraudulent.”
The federation said it had submitted documents and legal arguments to support its claims and is awaiting FIFA’s response.
The Congolese Football Federation (Fecofa) has rejected the petition, describing it as an attempt to overturn the result through administrative means. In a message shared on its official platforms, Fecofa said Nigeria should “play the World Cup with dignity and confidence, not with lawyer tricks,” and described the complaint as the action of “bad losers”.
What the law says
Under FIFA statutes, a player may change the national association they represent only once, subject to a formal and approved request to the Players’ Status Committee. While FIFA rules allow a player to hold more than one passport, eligibility must also align with the domestic nationality laws of the country concerned.
According to the regulations, when a formal protest is submitted, FIFA may dismiss the case if evidence is insufficient, open an investigation that could lead to administrative sanctions such as fines or warnings, or, in more serious cases, impose sporting sanctions. Such sanctions can include forfeiture of matches or the award of results to the opposing team where there is clear evidence of administrative or registration breaches.
Previous cases have seen FIFA apply such measures. South Africa were deducted points during the 2026 qualifiers after fielding a suspended player, while Equatorial Guinea were also sanctioned over the eligibility of Emilio Nsue, although that decision was later reversed without restoration of lost points.
Nigeria are seeking to revive their chances of progressing to the intercontinental play-offs for the 2026 World Cup, to be hosted by Canada, Mexico and the United States, pending FIFA’s determination on the petition.
