Nigeria cry foul: lawyers enter the World Cup race
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Reading Time: 2min | Wed. 17.12.25. | 21:33
Super Eagles turn to FIFA in a desperate bid to revive WC qualification
Nigeria have launched a formal complaint to FIFA in a bid to resurrect their World Cup qualification hopes, accusing the Democratic Republic of Congo of fielding ineligible players in last month's African play-off final.
The Super Eagles were beaten on penalties by DR Congo in Morocco, a result that sent the Leopards through to March's intercontinental play-off, where the final two tickets for the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico will be decided.
However, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) claims the match was compromised by what it describes as "fraud," centring its argument on several players who recently switched international allegiance to DR Congo. Among them are Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Axel Tuanzebe, both of whom featured in the decisive fixture.
Nigeria's case rests on Congolese nationality law, which, according to the NFF, does not permit dual citizenship. The federation argues that players holding European or French passports should therefore have been deemed ineligible, and that FIFA was misled into granting clearance for their participation.
"Our contention is that FIFA was deceived into approving these players," said NFF general secretary Mohammed Sanusi. "Congolese law does not allow dual nationality, yet some of these players possess European passports. We believe there has been a clear breach of FIFA regulations."
The NFF says it has submitted legal documentation and supporting evidence to world football's governing body, which has yet to publicly respond to the complaint.
DR Congo's football federation, FECOFA, has dismissed the allegations outright, branding Nigeria's move an attempt to overturn the result "via the back door." In a strongly worded statement on the Leopards' official social media channels, FECOFA accused Nigeria of poor sportsmanship and described the petition as "lawyers' tricks," adding that the World Cup should be contested "with dignity and confidence."
With FIFA now tasked with assessing the claim, Nigeria's hopes of a late reprieve hinge on whether the governing body finds merit in the legal challenge - or whether DR Congo's place in the qualification pathway remains untouched.
