Nigeria Football
NFF denies FIFA rejection reports in DR Congo eligibility dispute
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Ten days after reports claimed FIFA dismissed Nigeria's protest over DR Congo players' eligibility in the 2026 World Cup African playoff, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) refuted those claims. Secretary General Dr Mohammed Sanusi said no official decision has been received, with the matter still under review.
Nigeria's National Sports Commission chairman Shehu Dikko has described the country's FIFA complaint over DR Congo players' eligibility as 'very tight', stressing its legal basis amid review following the Super Eagles' playoff penalty loss. DR Congo dismisses it as backdoor tactics.
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In the lead-up to FIFA's dismissal of Nigeria's protest on December 18, 2025—as previously reported—the Nigeria Football Federation challenged DR Congo's 2026 World Cup playoff win on November 16 in Rabat, Morocco, alleging ineligible players due to dual nationality issues under Congolese law. The 1-1 draw went to a 4-3 penalty shootout victory for DR Congo, but Nigeria's detailed complaint kept qualification hopes alive briefly.
A viral claim by Dino Melaye that FIFA provided $1.2 million each to Nigeria and Kenya for stadium construction has been debunked. The assertion compared a small FIFA-funded project in Nigeria to Kenya's Talanta Stadium, which is fully government-financed. Fact-checkers confirmed FIFA did not fund the Kenyan project.