‘If you can’t win on the pitch, don’t try to win from the back door’ — DR Congo fire back at Nigeria’s FIFA petition

The fallout from Nigeria’s painful exit from the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers has taken a sharp legal and political turn.

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) has forcefully dismissed Nigeria’s petition to FIFA over alleged player ineligibility, urging the Super Eagles to forget the dispute and focus on the Africa Cup of Nations instead.

Nigeria’s complaint stemmed from their elimination after a dramatic penalty shootout defeat to DR Congo in November, a result that ended the Super Eagles’ World Cup dream on the pitch.

In the aftermath, the Nigeria Football Federation formally petitioned FIFA, asking the world body to review the match outcome on the grounds that several Congolese players may not have been eligible to represent DR Congo.

The core of Nigeria’s petition

At the heart of Nigeria’s argument is DR Congo’s domestic constitutional law, which reportedly prohibits dual citizenship for adults.

The NFF contends that some Congolese internationals allegedly retained European passports without formally renouncing prior nationalities, a process required under Congolese law.

Players referenced in the petition reportedly include individuals with European ties, such as Mario Stroeykens, Axel Tuanzebe, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, who are linked to countries including Belgium, England, France, and Switzerland.

Nigeria argue that while FIFA regulations allow players to switch sporting nationality, provided all documentation is approved, those approvals may have been granted on the basis of incomplete or misleading information supplied by Congolese authorities.

Confirming the submission, NFF General Secretary Mohammed Sanusi said the federation is awaiting FIFA’s verdict.

“The Congolese rules say you cannot have dual citizenship,” Sanusi said. “Wan-Bissaka has a European passport; some others have French passports. The rules are very clear, and we have submitted our petition.”

He acknowledged the global body’s standard process but raised a red flag.

“As far as FIFA is concerned, once you have the passport of your country, you are eligible,” Sanusi explained. “But our concern is that FIFA may have been deceived into clearing them.”

Under DR Congo’s constitution, nationality is obtained through clearly defined state-sanctioned processes, including naturalisation, marriage, adoption, or formal option, with dual citizenship largely prohibited. Nigeria insists that failure to comply with these provisions could invalidate sporting eligibility.

DR Congo’s defiant response

DR Congo, however, has wasted no time in pushing back, strongly and publicly.

Reacting to the petition, DR Congo’s Director of Football Hérita Ilunga dismissed Nigeria’s claims outright, drawing a firm line between domestic legal nationality and FIFA’s concept of sporting nationality.

“FIFA does not operate based on legal nationality but on sporting nationality,” Mr Ilunga said. “If that is the case, I advise my dear Naija, my BBC brothers, to focus instead on the AFCON.”

The tone sharpened further on social media. In a post on DR Congo’s official X (formerly Twitter) account, the Congolese FA framed Nigeria’s action as an attempt to bypass sporting failure through legal manoeuvres.

“If you can’t win on the pitch, don’t try to win from the back door,” the post read.
“The World Cup has to be played with dignity and confidence, not with lawyers’ tricks. Bring it on!”

What happens next?

FIFA retains the authority to investigate cases involving alleged fraud or document falsification. Should any wrongdoing be established, sanctions could range from player bans and match forfeitures to expulsion from competitions. However, FIFA traditionally places decisive weight on passports and official documentation submitted by national associations at the time of clearance.

From a Nigerian perspective, the petition reflects lingering frustrations; not just over elimination, but over a qualification campaign riddled with instability, transition, and missed margins. From DR Congo’s standpoint, the matter is settled on the field, and any attempt to revisit it off the pitch is viewed as sour grapes.

As the legal dust settles, Nigeria’s immediate reality remains unchanged: World Cup qualification is over, and attention must now shift fully to AFCON, where redemption, pride, and continental supremacy are once again on the line.