The DR Congo has issued a strong response to Nigeria following a formal complaint submitted by the Nigerian Football Federation to FIFA over alleged player eligibility violations.
Nigeria’s petition accuses DR Congo of fielding ineligible players during World Cup qualifiers, claiming that FIFA was misled through incomplete or inaccurate documentation.
The complaint has now sparked a public exchange between both football federations and senior officials, drawing continental and global attention.
In a statement posted on the official DR Congo national team X account, the Congolese Football Federation dismissed Nigeria’s move as unsporting and unnecessary.
The statement read:
“If you cannot win on the pitch, do not try to win from the back door. The World Cup must be played with dignity and confidence, not with legal tricks. Bring it.”
The response did not stop there. DR Congo’s Director of Football, Hérita Ilunga, also weighed in with a pointed message aimed directly at Nigeria. According to Ilunga, FIFA’s criteria are clear and not rooted in domestic legal interpretations of nationality.
“FIFA does not consider legal nationality but sporting nationality. If that is true, I advise you, dear Naija brothers, to focus on AFCON instead,” he said.
The reaction from DR Congo came shortly after the Nigerian Football Federation’s General Secretary publicly confirmed that a petition had been submitted to FIFA.
He argued that DR Congo deceived the world football governing body by providing misleading or incomplete information regarding the players in question.
“That is why FIFA cleared them,” he explained. “FIFA rules state that once you have a passport from your country, you are eligible. However, our concern is that FIFA was deceived into granting that clearance. It is not FIFA’s responsibility to ensure that Congo’s internal laws are followed. What we are saying is that there was fraud.”
At the heart of the dispute is not football performance but legal documentation and nationality status.
The case centers on whether the players involved genuinely met the eligibility requirements under both Congolese law and FIFA regulations.
Under the Constitution of the Democratic Republic of Congo, nationality is governed by strict legal procedures.
Foreign nationals can only become Congolese through defined routes such as naturalization, marriage, option, or adoption. Even then, citizenship is not automatic.
The process must be approved in the national interest and pass through the National Assembly, the Council of Ministers, and finally the President.
Nigeria’s argument suggests that these constitutional requirements may not have been fully met, raising questions about whether the players were legally Congolese at the time FIFA granted clearance.
This issue comes at a time when FIFA has reinforced its zero tolerance stance on eligibility fraud.
Recently, Malaysia was sanctioned with a three point deduction for breaching player eligibility regulations, a precedent that adds weight to Nigeria’s complaint.
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FIFA is now reportedly conducting a detailed investigation into the DR Congo case.
The outcome could have significant implications for World Cup qualification FIFA InterContinental Playoffs Final and may set another important precedent in African football governance.
Both Nigerians and Congolese watches closely as FIFA determines the final verdicts ,if Dr Congo will lose their place in the FIFA InterContinental Playoffs qualifiers and Nigeria will qualify.
