A section of the sports media in England has caught in on fresh speculation about a possible qualification of Nigeria’s upper Eagles for next year’s World Cup through ‘the back door.’
Sports247 reports that this follows confirmation by the secretary-general of Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Dr Mohammed Sanusi that the governing body has petitioned FIFA over alleged ineligibility of several DR Congo players.
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Sanusi’s declaration that DR Congo should be sanctioned for allegedly deceiving FIFA with ‘fraudulent’ nationality documents of their players has been highlighted in reports by some British online publications.
Among them is The Standard newspaper, whose Nigerian-born writer, Tashan Deniran-Alleyne wrote an extensive fearurised report about the allegations raised by Sanusi.
The report noted how the Nigerian press is reporting the latest development, implications of a successful protest for the Eagles and DR Congo’s prompt reaction.
Deniran-Alleyne wrote in part: “According to reports, between six to nine players used by DR Congo during the qualification campaign may not have completed the process of giving up their European passports in line with Congolese law before representing the country.
“If Nigeria’s appeal is successful, they will likely replace DR Congo in the play-offs, leaving them one win away from qualifying for the World Cup and joining Portugal, Uzbekistan and Colombia in Group K.”
Deniran-Alleyne also pointed out that DR Congo responded to the NFF’s allegations with a post via social media instead of lodging a formal counter-petition at FIFA.
Their post on X sarcastically stated: “If you can’t win on the pitch don’t try to win from the back door. The World Cup has to be played with dignity and confidence. Not with lawyers’ tricks. Bring it on.”
