Nigeria’s hope of qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup has received a major boost following a move by an executive member of the Confederation of African Football (CAF).
The Nigeria Football Federation filed a petition against the Leopard of DR Congo on December 15, over the alleged use of an ineligible player numbering six during the African playoff final at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Morocco last November.
The Super Eagles lost 4-3 to DR Congo on penalties after extra time, a result that denied the three-time AFCON winner any chance of playing at the intercontinental play-offs in Mexico next March.
Nigeria failed to secure the only slot in the CAF qualification Group C after finishing second place behind the Bafana Bafana of South Africa.
The NFF argues that the clearance process for these players contained irregularities and that DR Congo may have submitted incomplete documentation when seeking approval for their participation.
Meanwhile, Nigeria were awaiting the verdict after several newspaper outlets reported that FIFA’s decision on the petition would be revealed on February 16.
The Nigeria Football Federation and the National Sports Commission stated that FIFA are yet to communicate on the petition, advising the general public to disregard any information concerning the petition.
The president of the Mauritius Football Association, Samir Sobha, has called for the removal of the Secretary General of the Confederation of African Football, Véron Mosengo-Omba.
Mosengo-Omba is a citizen of the Democratic Republic of Congo and is currently under fire for his alleged role in ensuring the petition submitted by the Nigeria Football Federation is not handled properly.
According to the Guardian, Sobha claimed that Mosengo-Omba is occupying the position of CAF Secretary General illegally and lacks the mandate to continue.
He said:
“I don’t think that the SG is in any legal position to make decisions, to sign a document. I’m pleading with the president to rectify this position. We need to respect the statutes.”
According to FIFA, Mosengo-Omba, 61, was appointed CAF Secretary General after leaving his position as Chief Officer of the FIFA member associations (MAs) division in 2021.
Sobha urged the leadership of CAF to rectify the position in accordance with the status.
He said:
“Retirement is governed by our rules and regulations. We deal with those things not just in accordance with legality, but also with governance. We will take the best decision as CAF, concerning employees.”
