The Nigeria Football Federation has escalated its protest to FIFA, alleging that the Democratic Republic of Congo fielded players who were not eligible under Congolese law during the 2026 World Cup African playoffs, Okay News reports.
Mohammed Sanusi, NFF general secretary, speaking with journalists on Tuesday, said the federation submitted a formal petition after uncovering what it described as a pattern of misrepresentation by the Congolese football authorities.
Sanusi said DR Congo’s domestic laws clearly state that “you cannot have dual nationality”, yet several members of the Leopards squad featured in the playoffs hold both Congolese and European passports.
According to him, the Congolese federation knowingly ignored its own citizenship rules while presenting the players to FIFA for clearance.
He said: “FIFA cleared the players because FIFA’s eligibility rule is different from DR Congo’s rule. FIFA regulations say that once you have the passport of your country, you are eligible. But our contention is that FIFA was deceived into clearing them. Because it is not the responsibility of FIFA to ensure that the regulations of DR Congo are being abided by. It was on the basis of what was presented to FIFA that the players were cleared. But we are saying it was fraudulent.”
The NFF’s complaint follows Nigeria’s defeat to DR Congo, who edged the Super Eagles 4-3 on penalties in the African playoff final to advance to the inter-confederational qualification stage.
DR Congo will now face the winner between Jamaica and New Caledonia for a place at the 2026 World Cup.
Many of the Congolese players selected for the playoffs were foreign-born and recently switched allegiance, a trend that has long stirred debate given DR Congo’s strict nationality laws. Under those laws, children born abroad to Congolese parents may hold dual citizenship only until age 21, when they must renounce one nationality.
Sanusi insisted that the NFF’s petition is not about the match outcome but about protecting the integrity of international football, arguing that allowing federations to bypass their own citizenship laws creates room for abuse.
The NFF says it expects FIFA to investigate the matter fully and impose sanctions if wrongdoing is established.
