FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee rejected Nigeria’s protest over the eligibility of several players used by Congo DR in last November’s African World Cup playoff, the Nigeria Football Federation announced Monday.
“We have received the decision of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee on our petition, but we are not satis ed with the decision, which rejected our petition,” NFF General Secretary, Mohammed Sanusi, said in a statement.
“I want to assure Nigerians that the NFF has immediately commenced the process of appealing the decision.”
That appeal is now expected to go to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), but whether the appeals process will be concluded before the intercontinental playoffs begin March 26 remains unclear.
Congo DR are scheduled to play in that round on March 31, with a berth at the World Cup (WC) in the United States, Canada and Mexico on the line.
The DRC have not commented publicly on the ruling.
The NFF led its protest with FIFA days after Congo DR defeated Nigeria 4-3 on penalties, following a 1-1 draw through regulation and extra time, in the nal of the CAF World Cup playoffs on Nov. 16 at the Crown Prince Moulay El Hassan Stadium in Rabat, Morocco.
The result sent Congo DR through to the intercontinental playoff stage.
Nigeria’s complaint, which was joined by Cameroon in a separate petition, alleged that between six and nine players used by Congo DR during the qualifying series improperly switched international allegiances.
The NFF argued those players had not relinquished their European passports as required under Congolese law, which does not recognize dual citizenship.
“The Congolese rules say you cannot have dual nationality,” Sanusi told reporters at the time. “There are so many of them that have European passports, some of them French passports, some of them Dutch passports. The rules are very clear.”
FIFA’s own regulations, however, differ from Congolese domestic law.
FIFA requires only that a player hold a valid passport from the country they represent, a standard all the disputed players met through possession of valid Congolese passports.
It was on that basis that FIFA initially cleared them to play.
Still, the NFF contended that FIFA were misled into granting those clearances.
Congo DR has been drawn to face the winner of the semi nal between New Caledonia and Jamaica in the intercontinental playoff.
The winner of that match will claim one of the nal available spots at the World Cup.
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