The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) confirmed that they have received the judgement from FIFA throwing away their protest against DR Congo for fielding ineligible players in the world cup qualifiers playoff final in November 2025.
Nigeria protested that several players in the team of DR Congo didn’t pass the constitutional requirements to be termed citizens of DR Congo, as they hold dual nationality which is against their constitution.
FIFA ruled in favour of DR Congo, clearing the way for them to represent Africa at the intercontinental playoff later this month in Mexico, where there will be two tickets to the world cup.
However according to veteran Nigerian journalist Kunle Solaja, what Nigerians thought was a valid case was badly handled by the NFF who filed the protest.
He made this known in his reaction to the judgement in his article for Sportsvillagesquare.com. Below was what he revealed.
“According to the source, the NFF’s complaint was received by FIFA on November 28, 2025, nearly two weeks after the match in Rabat.
Under the Regulations Governing the Preliminary Competition for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, protests regarding player eligibility must follow strict timelines.
Article 8 of the regulations stipulates that any protest must first be communicated to the match commissioner within two hours of the completion of the match, and then followed by a detailed written submission within 24 hours.
The article states:
“Protests regarding the eligibility of players selected for matches in the preliminary competition shall be submitted in writing within two hours of the match and followed by a full written report within 24 hours.”
Because Nigeria’s protest was submitted on November 28 for a match played on November 16, it fell well outside the allowable window.
The source further revealed that the mandatory protest fee of 1,000 Swiss francs, which must accompany such submissions, was also not paid. As a result, the case was not formally processed by FIFA’s judicial bodies.
“The appeal that was widely reported was never actually entertained by the FIFA judicial authorities because it did not meet the procedural requirements,” the source explained, adding that the NFF was formally informed of the situation on March 9, 2026.
It took another week before the body made the decision known, indirectly with a claim of appeal of the judgment.
Under FIFA regulations, a protest must not only meet the deadline but must also include clear reasons, supporting evidence, and the relevant regulatory provisions before the Disciplinary Committee can examine the case.
Because the submission failed to satisfy these procedural conditions, FIFA dismissed the complaint without examining the substance of Nigeria’s allegations regarding player eligibility.
Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman
