FIFA Decision Over DR Congo Ineligible Player Cost Nigeria World Cup Place?

By Adedapo Adesanya

A new investigation has revealed that Nigeria was denied a possible World Cup slot after officials of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) determined that the Democratic Republic of Congo fielded an ineligible player during its World Cup qualifying campaign but allowed the team to continue in the competition.

The findings done by The Athletic revealed that Congolese goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi had previously represented France at youth level.

According to internal FIFA documents and correspondence reviewed by the publication, Congo had not completed the required documentation for Mpasi to change his international affiliation.

The issue arose after Nigeria filed a complaint over the player’s eligibility following its defeat to Congo in the qualifying playoffs.

The world football body subsequently considered several possible sanctions, including awarding the match to Nigeria, imposing fines, replacing Congo with Nigeria in the playoff against Jamaica or taking no action because Nigeria’s complaint was submitted late, the documents showed.

Despite the eligibility concerns, FIFA allowed Congo to proceed to the playoff against Jamaica. Congo defeated Jamaica to secure qualification for the 2026 World Cup, ending a 52-year wait to return to the tournament.

FIFA did not dispute the findings reported by The Athletic, saying its committees were autonomous and made decisions based on applicable regulations and the facts of each case.

The governing body also said President Gianni Infantino had no role in the decisions.

The case has raised fresh questions about FIFA’s handling of eligibility disputes, particularly as the governing body faces scrutiny over its administration of the 2026 World Cup.

The Athletic reported that FIFA had previously taken stronger action in similar cases. In 2016, Greece was sanctioned with a 3-0 defeat after fielding an ineligible player who had represented Australia at youth level.

FIFA also changed the results of two Bolivia matches during the 2018 World Cup qualifiers after determining that Bolivia had fielded a player who had previously represented Paraguay.

Nigeria’s loss to Congo had major consequences for the country’s football administration, contributing to the resignation of the Nigerian Football Federation’s board.

According to the publication, the then federation’s president, Mr Ibrahim Musa Gusau, said he was informed that Nigeria’s complaint had been dismissed on technical grounds but was not told that FIFA had identified an eligibility issue involving Mpasi.

Mr Gusau called for an investigation into the matter, accusing FIFA of withholding information that could have had serious implications for the qualification process.

The case could also draw renewed attention to FIFA’s political relationships in Africa as Mr Infantino seeks support ahead of the next FIFA presidential election. Africa’s 54 member associations represent the largest voting bloc within FIFA, with each of the organisation’s 211 members holding one vote.

At the time of FIFA’s eligibility review, Mr Véron Mosengo-Omba, an ally of Infantino, was preparing to contest the presidency of Congo’s football federation.

Two months after Congo secured its World Cup qualification, Mr Mosengo-Omba became the federation’s sole candidate and was elected president after eight other contenders either withdrew or were ruled ineligible under revised eligibility rules.

In March, Mr Mosengo-Omba quit as the Secretary-General of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) over governance issues.