BY OSABUOHIEN VIVIAN-ROSE
FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee has dismissed a protest filed by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) regarding the eligibility of several DR Congo players who featured in last November’s African World Cup playoff.
In response to the ruling, the NFF confirmed on Monday that it has begun the process of filing an appeal.
“We have received the decision of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee on our petition, but we are not satisfied with the outcome, which rejected our case,” NFF general secretary Mohammed Sanusi said in a statement. “I want to assure Nigerians that the NFF has already initiated the process of appealing the decision.”
The appeal is expected to be taken to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). However, it remains uncertain whether the case will be resolved before the intercontinental playoffs begin on March 26. DR Congo are scheduled to play in that round on March 31, with a place at the World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico at stake.
The Congolese football authorities have yet to publicly respond to FIFA’s decision.
Nigeria lodged the protest shortly after DR Congo edged the Super Eagles 4-3 on penalties following a 1-1 draw after extra time in the CAF World Cup playoff final on Nov. 16 at the Crown Prince Moulay El Hassan Stadium in Rabat, Morocco. The result secured DR Congo’s place in the intercontinental playoff stage.
The NFF’s complaint, supported by a separate submission from Cameroon, alleged that between six and nine DR Congo players had improperly switched international allegiance. According to the federation, the players still held European passports despite Congolese law prohibiting dual citizenship.
“The Congolese regulations clearly state that dual nationality is not allowed,” Sanusi said previously. “Many of those players still possess European passports, including French and Dutch ones.”
However, FIFA’s eligibility rules differ from Congolese domestic law. Under FIFA regulations, a player is considered eligible as long as they hold a valid passport from the country they represent. All the players in question possessed valid Congolese passports, which formed the basis of FIFA’s approval for them to participate.
Despite that, the NFF maintains that FIFA may have been misled during the clearance process.
DR Congo have been drawn to face the winner of the semifinal between New Caledonia and Jamaica in the intercontinental playoff, where the victor will secure one of the final spots at the upcoming World Cup.
