2026 World Cup: NSC Confident As Nigeria Awaits FIFA Verdict On DR Congo Eligibility Case

The Chairman of the National Sports Commission, Shehu Dikko, has expressed strong confidence in Nigeria’s prospects as FIFA continues to review concerns over the eligibility of some Democratic Republic of Congo players in the World Cup qualifiers.

Speaking on Friday during an appearance on Arise Television’s Morning Show, Dikko described Nigeria’s case before FIFA as “very tight”, insisting that the issues raised by Nigerian football authorities were identified well before the playoff defeat to DR Congo.

According to him, the scrutiny of player eligibility did not arise as a reaction to the loss but stemmed from close monitoring of DR Congo’s squad after it was announced on November 1, ahead of the November 13 playoff fixtures.

Dikko explained that officials became concerned when players of other nationalities were named despite not having received FIFA clearance at the time.

He said, “So, when we saw the squad that was put in place for the playoffs, the squad was named on November 1 and the playoffs were on November 13, we looked at the squad of our opponents. We found out from the beginning that even the Congolese had already named players of other nationalities who had not been cleared by FIFA in their squad. That was an alarm, so everybody started monitoring, even though the players were not being played.

“This issue did not start because we lost the playoffs. We had been watching what they were doing, and then we found out a day before the qualifiers that they were getting clearances so that the players were qualified to play.

“But if you look back, what gave them the confidence to name a player of another nationality in their squad to play a match two weeks later, when he wasn’t qualified to play for them until the day before the match they received permission? That raised an alarm for us after the qualifiers.”

The NSC chairman revealed that the players in question only obtained FIFA clearance a day before the qualifiers, a timing he said heightened suspicion and prompted deeper examination of the process.

He referenced a previous case involving South Africa, where points were deducted for fielding an ineligible player, as evidence that FIFA applies its eligibility regulations without compromise.

Dikko also stressed the importance of proper legal procedures in matters of nationality, noting that shortcuts in issuing passports can have serious consequences for the integrity of the game.

“It is the responsibility of a federation to ensure passports are issued in line with the law. You cannot just issue a passport to someone and change their nationality. If the passport is not issued according to the law of that country, it affects everything,” he said.

While acknowledging Nigeria’s defeat in the playoffs, Dikko maintained that the country’s stance is rooted in respect for the rules rather than emotion.

“Yes, we lost. Unfortunately, everybody was angry about it,” he said. “We are not sore losers, but it’s part of the rules. We bring in our legal team, we bring in our international lawyers. We look at the legal opinion, we look at the laws, and we found out there is some suspicion that some things have not been done right according to the laws of the game.

“There are probably, from what we found out, misrepresentations to FIFA to obtain those clearances.”