The National Sports Commission (NSC) has described Nigeria’s case against the Democratic Republic of Congo over the alleged use of ineligible players in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers as strong and well grounded.
Nigeria have formally approached FIFA, asking the world football governing body to sanction DR Congo for reportedly failing to comply with regulations governing player eligibility. The Super Eagles contend that some Congolese players were improperly cleared to feature in the qualifiers after previously representing other countries.
Speaking on the matter, NSC chairman, Shehu Dikko, said Nigeria’s action was based on established rules and not driven by disappointment over results.
“Our case is very tight. We are not sore losers; this is simply part of the law,” Dikko told our correspondent.
He explained that there were concerns that due process may not have been followed in securing FIFA clearance for the affected players.
“There are suspicions that some things were not done correctly in line with the laws of the game. They may have misrepresented their situation to FIFA in order to obtain those clearances,” he said.
Dikko pointed to a recent FIFA decision involving Malaysia, where the federation was sanctioned for fielding players whose documentation was found to be irregular.
“Just two days ago, FIFA ruled against Malaysia on a similar issue because the players’ passports were illegally procured, and they forfeited all the matches played with those players,” he added.
Nigeria is hopeful that FIFA will apply the same standard in reviewing the petition against DR Congo.
