The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has taken a decisive step by filing an official protest with FIFA, demanding sanctions against the Democratic Republic of Congo. This action follows the Super Eagles' heartbreaking elimination from the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying play-offs, a match decided by a penalty shootout in favour of the Leopards.
The Discovery of Player Ineligibility
Shehu Dikko, Chairman of the National Sports Commission and former NFF vice-president, has provided a detailed account of how the federation uncovered the alleged irregularities. According to Dikko, who spoke on Arise TV, the NFF's scrutiny began as soon as DR Congo named their squad for the play-offs on November 1. The playoff match itself was scheduled for November 13 in Morocco.
Dikko explained that Nigerian officials immediately noticed a red flag: the Congolese squad included players of other nationalities who, at the time of the squad announcement, had not received the necessary clearance from FIFA to switch their international allegiance. "That was an alarm, so everybody started monitoring," Dikko stated, emphasising that their vigilance was not a reaction to the defeat.
Constitutional Breach and Formal Complaint
The core of Nigeria's protest hinges on the constitution of DR Congo, which explicitly forbids dual nationality. The NFF alleges that several players in the Leopards' squad had not formally renounced their other citizenships, thereby violating their own national laws and FIFA's regulations on player eligibility.
Consequently, the NFF has submitted a formal letter to the world football governing body. In it, Nigeria is demanding that FIFA award the match as a forfeit in favour of the Super Eagles. This would grant Nigeria a lifeline, sending them to the inter-continental play-offs scheduled for March next year, instead of DR Congo.
"We look at the legal opinion, we look at the laws, and we found out there is some suspicion that some things have not been done right according to the laws of the game," Dikko asserted, expressing confidence in the strength of their case.
A Pattern of Vigilance, Not Sour Grapes
Dikko was keen to stress that the NFF's actions were proactive and based on principle, not merely a response to the disappointing loss. He revealed that the federation confirmed its suspicions just a day before the crucial qualifier, discovering that DR Congo was hastily securing last-minute clearances for the players in question.
"What gave them the confidence to name a player of another nationality in their squad to play a match two weeks later, when he wasn’t qualified to play for them until the day before the match they received permission? That raised alarm for us after the qualifiers," Dikko questioned, highlighting the procedural anomaly.
The NFF's complaint references a recent precedent where FIFA sanctioned Malaysia for presenting forged documents for foreign-born players in 2025. This indicates FIFA's current hardline stance against fraudulent naturalisation attempts in international football.
As the football world awaits FIFA's ruling, the development has cast a shadow over DR Congo's historic victory and injected a new wave of anxious hope among Nigerian football fans, who now await a potential administrative reprieve for their World Cup dreams.
