Apart from the 35th Africa Cup of Nations kicking off this weekend in Morocco, the biggest news item shaking the sporting scene is a formal protest submitted to FIFA by Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).
The short and sharp of this protest is that the NFF alleged that many players in the squad of DR Congo that defeated the Super Eagles via penalties in the African final of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification play-offs were not eligible for the game in terms of citizenship.
As the issue heats up and drags on, I humbly use this medium to chip in my totally unbiased opinion about the saga that is sure to reflect in the annals of African (nay, global) football for many years to come.
Just as sanctions in the past against Colombia, Equatorial Guinea and a couple of other countries have been, regarding heated and disputed nationality issues, this one between Nigeria and DR Congo will surely be part of references in the future.
Having stated the historical implications of this debacle now rocking FIFA’s boardroom, I have opted for three pillars on which I would place my ultimate verdict to the unfolding drama – ego, feasibility and sportsmanship.
The first factor to tackle here is the issue of ego, which simply entails why a country with such a rich pedigree in football like ours is relying on a controversial verdict from the boardroom to help us sneak into the World Cup through the backdoor. Shouldn’t we be ashamed of ourselves that we could not qualify automatically from such a lightweight group that had only South Africa as a strong contender?
Shouldn’t we cover our face in shame that we could not qualify even after we got two lifelines – three points deducted from South Africa’s total haul and a second chance through the route of playoffs.
Shouldn’t we be ashamed that we have been inspired by the points deduction suffered by South Africa to think that a similar hammer will come down on DR Congo and allow us usurp their chance of making it to the World Cup for only the second time in history?
Well, all the questions above are based on ego. Someone with pride could jolly well say, ‘I won’t accept anything that I did not work hard to gain and acquire.’ Interestingly, though, a devout Christian will quickly remind you that favour can be defined as ‘getting things that you don’t deserve,’ but you got it because God loves you. So, should we reject ‘the love of God’ that opens another door of opportunity for the Super Eagles?
On the other hand, the second factor in this write-up warns us that NFF’s protest might not be feasible after all. This I garnered from a caveat that was raised in an article by a writer of BBC Sport Africa, who pointed at the fact that FIFA could sanction DR Congo with a fine but still leave them to play on at the intercontinental play-offs.
Furthermore, there is the fact that FIFA had rarlier on already cleared as bona-fide citizens of DR Congo all the players whose eligibility NFF is questioning. That puts a cloud of doubt on the chances of Nigeria getting a reversal of FIFA’s stand, especially as the points NFF raised against the players are political in nature, not based on the rules and regulations of football.
In effect, rather than start celebrating the chances, likelihood or possibility of the Super Eagles ‘sneaking to the 2026 World Cup through the back door,’ we should analyse how feasible the NFF’s protest truly is.
By and large, we get to that point where we look at the interrelated issues of reciprocity, morality and sportsmanship. This apt point arises from the (supposed) response by DR Congo, with a social post that labelled Nigeria as ‘bad losers.’
In their own reckoning, Nigeria should have just taken their defeat in good fate, whether it was achieved by DR Congo through hook, crook or fluke (or voodoo). Why not just go lamely back to your locker room and lick your wounds honourably in silence?
Good question and a credible one at that; but a counter-inquiry which is equally plausible should be – Would DR Congo have kept silent if they lost to Nigeria but then found a loophole to upstage their conquerors through the boardroom?
I guess there’s an obvious answer to that (which would be laced with strong elements of patriotism). So, rather than dwell on ego and tag the NFF as ‘shameful supplanters,’ or remain moralistic in fixation, I would just simply go the way of Nicolo Marchiavelli – the end justifies the means.
This ultimately leaves the verdict on FIFA’s table. Whichever decision they take, life will surely go on … but I jolly well won’t mind seeing Nigeria make history as the first country to ‘sneak’ into the Mundial after being written off twice within the same qualification series!
