The Nigeria Football Federation said it has commenced the process of appealing the decision of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee, which rejected its petition against the Democratic Republic of Congo on the issue of eligibility of some players used by that country in a 2026 FIFA World Cup play-off match against Nigeria in Rabat, Morocco, last November.
Nigeria lost the match 4-3 on penalties, but the NFF protested the eligibility of some players in the DR Congo squad, citing perceived fraud in the issuance of passports that qualified a number of players of the Democratic Republic of Congo for the play-off.
After months of waiting, the NFF confirmed that it had received FIFA’s verdict but has launched an appeal.
“We have received the decision of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee on our petition, but we are not satisfied with the decision, which rejected our petition.
“I want to assure Nigerians that the NFF has immediately commenced the process of appealing the decision,” said NFF General Secretary, Dr Mohammed Sanusi, in a statement on Tuesday.
DR Congo have been drawn to face the winner of the clash between the Jamaica national football team and New Caledonia national football team, with a place at the 2026 tournament at stake.
The Congolese are heading to Guadalajara and Monterrey in Mexico, where they will join five other countries vying for the final two places at the expanded World Cup, which will be held in the United States, Canada and Mexico from June 11 to July 19, 2026.