World football governing body FIFA has confirmed that Nigeria’s protest against DR Congo was indeed valid enough to be given the spot to represent Africa at the intercontinental playoff, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.
An exclusive report by the New York Times confirmed that Nigeria indeed had a case against DR Congo over an ineligible player, after losing to them on shoot out in the final of the playoff in November 2025.
Below is the full report…
FIFA’s review of the DR Congo team followed a complaint about player eligibility filed by Nigeria, which Congo had defeated to reach the match with Jamaica.
While investigating the complaint, FIFA found that Congo had never completed documentation to allow the goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi to switch affiliations after he played for France’s youth teams, according to the documents.
*FIFA did not deny any of The Times’s findings, saying only that it dismissed Nigeria’s case on a technicality.*
In an email to The Times, FIFA said its committees were “autonomous and decide cases based on the applicable regulations and the specific facts before them.” It said Mr. Infantino had no role in such decisions.
In the Congo case, FIFA officials drew up possible options, including awarding the match to Nigeria, imposing fines, replacing Congo with Nigeria in the playoff against Jamaica, or doing nothing on the grounds that Nigeria had filed its complaint late, the documents show.
Additional correspondence about the investigation, also reviewed by The Times, included details about FIFA’s actions in previous cases that matched publicly known information. A FIFA legal official not involved in the case confirmed the authenticity of the documents obtained by The Times.
The loss to Congo had seismic consequences for Nigerian soccer. It led, in part, to the resignation of the national soccer federation’s entire board.
One of those officials, the federation’s president, Ibrahim Musa Gusau, said he was told that their complaint had been dismissed for technical reasons but not informed about the finding on the goalkeeper’s eligibility.
“They just kept quiet, and they can’t tell anyone because they know it’s going to be a serious crisis for them,” he said of FIFA. He called for an investigation.
The Times reviewed a document that matched Mr. Gusau’s description of FIFA’s response.
The Congo case will also renew attention to Mr. Infantino’s regional ties. As he fights to keep his job, Mr. Infantino will most likely need African support.
