Posted by African Examiner
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Thursday, December 18th, 2025
(AFRICAN EXAMINER) – The Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) has criticised Nigeria for petitioning the world football governing body FIFA over the alleged use of ineligible players, following their penalty shootout defeat in the 2026 World Cup playoffs in Morocco.
In a statement posted on its official Instagram page on Tuesday night, the Congolese team accused Nigeria of attempting to qualify through legal means after failing on the pitch.
“If you can’t win on the pitch, don’t try to win from the back door. The World Cup has to be played with dignity and confidence, not with lawyers’ tricks,” the statement read. “Bring it on. Allez y les Leopards. Bad losers.”
The reaction followed confirmation by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) that it had submitted a petition to FIFA alleging that nine DR Congo players were ineligible under Congolese law.
NFF General Secretary, Mohammed Sanusi, said the petition was based on claims that the players held dual citizenship, which he argued is not permitted under DR Congo’s domestic laws.
“The Nigerian petition is on nine players of DRC. FIFA were deceived into clearing those players because it is not FIFA’s responsibility to interpret or enforce domestic citizenship laws,” Sanusi said.
He added that while FIFA rules allow a player to represent a country once they possess a valid passport, the NFF believes the process through which the players were cleared was flawed.
“FIFA acts based on what is submitted to it. What we are saying is that the process was fraudulent,” he said.
DR Congo defeated Nigeria on penalties to secure a place in the Intercontinental Playoffs scheduled for Mexico in March 2026, keeping their hopes of qualifying for the World Cup alive.
The petition has sparked debate among Nigerian football fans, with some hoping FIFA’s review could change the outcome of the playoff.
Nigeria last featured at the World Cup in 2018 and failed to qualify for the 2022 tournament in Qatar. FIFA is expected to determine whether DR Congo breached eligibility rules and whether any sanctions will apply.
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