SOCCER: Nigeria allege DR Congo fielded ineligible players in World Cup playoff

Nigeria has submitted a petition to FIFA alleging that the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) fielded ineligible players during their African qualification playoff for next year’s FIFA World Cup, a spokesperson for the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) said.

DR Congo defeated Nigeria on penalties last month, keeping alive their hopes of qualifying for the tournament in North America. They are now set to compete in an inter-confederation playoff in March, where six teams will vie for the final two spots at the expanded 48-team World Cup.

According to the NFF, several players with dual nationality were allowed to represent DR Congo without meeting the eligibility requirements under Congolese law.

“The Congolese rules say you cannot have dual nationality,” NFF General Secretary Mohammed Sanusi told reporters.

“There are many players with European passports — some have French passports, others Dutch,” he said.

Sanusi acknowledged that FIFA regulations allow a player to represent a country if they hold its passport, which is why the players were initially cleared.

“FIFA regulations say once you have the passport of your country, you are eligible. As far as FIFA is concerned, they are eligible, which is why they were cleared,” he said.

However, Sanusi claimed FIFA was misled because it is not responsible for enforcing national laws.

“Our contention is that FIFA was deceived into clearing them. It is not FIFA’s responsibility to ensure a country’s internal regulations are followed,” he said.

“FIFA bases its decision on the information presented to it, and we believe that information was fraudulent.”

DR Congo’s football federation rejected the allegations, dismissing Nigeria’s claims in a statement posted on social media.

“If you cannot win on the pitch, then do not try to win from the back door,” the Congolese Football Federation (Fecofa) said.

“The World Cup should be played with dignity and confidence, not legal tricks. Bring it on.”

FIFA did not immediately respond to a request for comment made outside of business hours.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup will be held in the United States, Canada, and Mexico from June 11 to July 19 -Reporting by Karan Prashant Saxena in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford/Reuters