ITS ALL FAKE NEWS!!! FIFA Yet To Rule On NFF’s Protest Over DR Congo Players Eligibility
World football governing body, FIFA, is yet to deliver its verdict on the petition filed by the Nigeria Football Federation (FIFA) over the eligibility of some Democratic Republic of Congo players during last November’s 2026 World Cup African play-offs.
The Genius Media Nigeria reports that Nigerians were on edge on Monday, awaiting a ruling, as the intercontinental play-offs are scheduled to hold from March 26 to 31 in Mexico.
The Super Eagles failed to secure automatic qualification during the qualifying series but progressed to the African play-offs, where they lost to DR Congo on penalties.
Despite widespread speculation and unconfirmed reports circulating online on Monday, the NFF said it had not received any official communication from FIFA.
NFF President, Ibrahim Gusau, in an interview with Punch said the federation was still expecting a response.
“We are still waiting to hear from FIFA. We are hopeful, by the grace of God,” Gusau said.
Also speaking, the NFF General Secretary, Dr Mohammed Sanusi, maintained that the federation would not have petitioned if it did not believe it had a valid case.
“We believe that we have a chance; that is why we petitioned. If we knew we didn’t have a chance, we wouldn’t have petitioned. That is our submission, it is now left to FIFA to decide,” Sanusi told Punch.
DR Congo has already been drawn to face the winner of the tie between New Caledonia and Jamaica for one of the two available World Cup slots.
Nigeria’s complaint centres on the alleged improper switch of nationality by some DR Congo players.
Under FIFA statutes, a player may request to change the association they represent only once, through a written and substantiated application that complies with domestic regulations and must be approved by FIFA’s Players’ Status Committee.
FIFA regulations also require that a player hold the passport of the country he wishes to represent, even if he possesses another nationality. However, Congolese law does not recognise dual nationality, a point believed to be central to the NFF’s petition.
Like the federation, members of the Super Eagles squad have expressed optimism as they await the outcome.
“We’re still waiting, hopefully we can go to the World Cup,” midfielder Alex Iwobi said recently.
Meanwhile, Chairman of the National Sports Commission, Shehu Dikko, suggested that whichever party loses the case at FIFA could approach the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
“It requires a lot of things, and by the time it is finally decided, whether Nigeria wins or DR Congo wins, I believe the case might even go to the Court of Arbitration for Sport,” Dikko said in Morocco last month.
“For us, we are waiting to see how it goes. All I know is that FIFA is still handling the petition,” he added.
The 2026 World Cup is scheduled to take place from June 11 to July 19 across 16 cities in the three host countries.
