NFF’s petition to FIFA: DR Congo slams Nigeria over ‘back door’ tactics<\/p>\n
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) has criticised Nigeria for petitioning football world governing body, FIFA , over the alleged use of ineligible players during the 2026 World Cup playoffs in Morocco, insisting that the Super Eagles should not attempt to qualify \u201cfrom the back door\u201d after losing on penalties.<\/p>\n
In a statement released on its official Instagram page on Tuesday night, the Congolese team declared, \u201cIf you can\u2019t win on the pitch don\u2019t try to win from the back door. The World Cup has to be played with dignity and confidence. Not with lawyers tricks. Bring it on. Allez y les Leopards. Bad losers.\u201d<\/p>\n
The response followed confirmation by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) that it had submitted a petition to FIFA, alleging that nine players fielded by DR Congo were ineligible under Congolese law. NFF General Secretary, Dr Mohammed Sanusi, explained the basis of the petition, saying, \u201cThe Nigerian petition is on nine players of DRC. FIFA were deceived into clearing those players because it is not FIFA\u2019s responsibility to interpret or enforce domestic citizenship laws.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sanusi argued that Congolese law does not permit dual citizenship, yet some of the players involved reportedly hold dual nationality.<\/p>\n
He added, \u201cFIFA rules say once you have a passport of your country, you\u2019re eligible, and that is why they were cleared. But our concern is that FIFA was deceived into clearing them. It is not FIFA\u2019s responsibility to enforce Congo\u2019s domestic regulations; FIFA acts based on what is submitted to it. What we are saying is that the process was fraudulent.\u201d<\/p>\n
DR Congo defeated Nigeria in a penalty shootout to secure a place in the Intercontinental Playoffs scheduled for Mexico in March 2026, keeping their hopes of World Cup qualification alive.<\/p>\n
The dispute has rekindled debate among Nigerian football supporters, many of whom remain hopeful that FIFA\u2019s review of the petition could alter the outcome.<\/p>\n
Nigeria last appeared at the World Cup in 2018 and missed the 2022 edition in Qatar, raising concerns that another absence in 2026 would deepen the disappointment of fans across the country.<\/p>\n
The matter is now before FIFA, which will determine whether DR Congo breached eligibility rules. Should Nigeria\u2019s petition succeed, the Super Eagles could be reinstated into contention for the Intercontinental Playoffs scheduled to take place in Mexico in March 2026, provided the fixtures have not already been played.(Guardian)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
NFF’s petition to FIFA: DR Congo slams Nigeria over ‘back door’ tactics The Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) has criticised Nigeria for petitioning football world governing body, FIFA , over the alleged use of ineligible players during the 2026 World Cup playoffs in Morocco, insisting that the Super Eagles should not attempt to qualify […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":149466,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18,21,20],"tags":[2591,2590,2592],"class_list":["post-149465","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-news","category-sports","category-the-nation","tag-2026-world-cup-playoffs","tag-dr-congo","tag-nff-petition-to-fifa"],"yoast_head":"\n