The General Secretary of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Dr. Mohammed Sanusi, has claimed that FIFA was misled into clearing certain DR Congo players who allegedly breached the country’s citizenship laws during recent international competitions.
Speaking on the ongoing eligibility controversy, Dr. Sanusi said FIFA’s clearance of the players in question was based on incomplete information, stressing that it is not the world football governing body’s role to interpret or enforce domestic citizenship rules.
“FIFA was deceived into clearing those players because it is not FIFA’s responsibility to interpret or enforce domestic citizenship laws,” Sanusi stated.
According to him, DR Congo’s national laws do not recognize dual citizenship, yet some players fielded by the country reportedly possess dual nationality.
“It is not FIFA’s duty to know the domestic laws of every country; that is why we formally drew FIFA’s attention to the issue, and we are now awaiting their verdict,” he added.
The NFF recently raised the matter with FIFA, insisting that the use of allegedly ineligible players affected the integrity of recent fixtures involving Nigeria and DR Congo. The federation says it remains confident that the governing body will take appropriate action once investigations are concluded.
