How Nigeria Escaped FIFA Ban Over Player Eligibility Issue Amid NFF’s Petition Against DR Congo

• A scout to former Nigeria coach Gernot Rohr explains how Nigeria avoided a FIFA ban due to player eligibility issues
• Nigeria is challenging DR Congo over ineligible dual-nationality players in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers
• If found guilty, DR Congo could get thrown out of the World Cup qualification race, with Nigeria replacing them

Nigeria’s hopes of overturning their 2026 World Cup qualifying loss to DR Congo extended beyond the pitch, as the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) lodged a formal protest with FIFA.

The complaint centres on several DR Congo players who hold dual nationality, which violates Congolese law prohibiting multiple citizenships.

Despite DR Congo advancing on penalties, Nigeria argues that the inclusion of these players breached the African nation’s regulations.

According to beIN Sport, NFF General Secretary Mohammed Sanusi clarified Nigeria’s position after confirming Nigeria had filed a petition to FIFA against DR Congo:

FIFA regulations only require players to hold a passport of the country they represent, creating a divergence between local laws and international football rules.

The Congolese Football Federation (Fecofa) rejected Nigeria’s claims, posting on social media:

“If you cannot win on the pitch, do not try to win from the back door. The World Cup must be played with dignity and confidence, not with lawyers’ tricks.”

The difference between national law and FIFA rules

At the core of the dispute is the difference between FIFA eligibility requirements and national citizenship laws.

According to Flashscore, Nigeria alleges that seven DR Congo players retained European passports, French, Dutch, and others, without renouncing them, as required under Congolese law.

While FIFA recognises a player as eligible if they hold the passport of the country they play for, it does not enforce compliance with local legal requirements.

This gap underscores an ongoing challenge in global football, particularly in Africa, where many national teams rely on players trained in European leagues.

How Nigeria escaped a FIFA ban

Adding perspective, a scout to former Nigeria coach Gernot Rohr weighed in on the controversy, highlighting why Nigeria avoided a potential FIFA sanction.

“This is a straightforward case if you ask me because you have to first and foremost be a bonafide citizen of a country before you are eligible to play for a country according to FIFA. It’s clear that you must meet all the national laws for that to happen,” he told OwnGoalNigeria.com.

The scout cited past examples, including Kingsley Ehizubue and Tobias Lawal, who were unable to represent Nigeria due to restrictions on dual nationality in the Netherlands and Austria.

”I remember when we had Kingsley Ehizubue and Tobias Lawal with the Super Eagles. Ehizubue based on his citizen status in the Netherlands isn’t eligible to get another nationality. So that was how he was not able to play for us after getting an invitation.

”Then there is Lawal, we drafted him in to join us for a friendly game. While with us he wanted to get a Nigerian passport and was told that Austrian laws doesn’t permit dual nationality. We lost out on a promising goalkeeper. So rules are rules”, he concluded.

For now, the NFF petition against DR Congo is under FIFA’s disciplinary review.

How NFF discovered DR Congo ineligible players

Earlier, Legit.ng reported that Shehu Dikko has opened up on how the Nigeria Football Federation found out that some players in the DR Congo team that defeated the Super Eagles in the World Cup qualifiers play-off could be ineligible.

The National Sports Commission chairman stated that authorities had discovered that some players who had played for the Leopards had yet to complete their nationality switch.