The New York Times reported that FIFA was aware of a potential violation by DR Congo goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi during World Cup qualifiers and failed to act.
Mpasi at centre of controversy
“Nigeria objected to the transfer of Mbala Nkumba Mpasi, who had yet to fulfil the requirements to change his national football allegiance, when he was previously capped by France, the report also said.
In the build-up to the 2026 World Cup, Mpasi was involved in DR Congo’s qualifiers, winning playoffs over Nigeria and Cameroon.
But FIFA has now denied that the DR Congo had any eligibility problem.
A FIFA spokesperson responded to Flashscore: “FIFA can confirm that no eligibility concerns were raised in relation to DR Congo’s matches against Jamaica and the subsequent FIFA World Cup 2026.”
It also said that it has been informed that Nigeria’s Football Federation had lodged a protest, which the FIFA Disciplinary Committee judged to be not admissible.
Nigeria could have benefited
Why has this case been controversial? The dispute has been controversial because FIFA has previously imposed losses on teams who played ineligible players, including Greece in 2016 and Bolivia in 2018.
Imagine Nigeria could have been in there and trained as DR Congo did; Nigeria could have had it too and qualified for the World Cup.
