FIFA has rejected the Nigeria Football Federation’s (NFF) appeal to have DR Congo (DRC) disqualified from the upcoming FIFA intercontinental playoff.
The ruling confirms that the scheduled one-off fixture on March 31 will proceed as planned, leaving the Super Eagles’ camp in a race against time and legal hurdles.
The NFF’s protest centered on allegations of administrative fraud.
Specifically, Nigeria claimed that several DRC players were issued passports under questionable circumstances, rendering them ineligible to compete during the qualification rounds.
Nigeria argued that these irregularities should have resulted in an automatic forfeit by the Congolese side, potentially opening a “backdoor” for Nigeria to reclaim a spot in the tournament.
Despite the setback, the NFF is not backing down.
General Secretary Mohammed Sanusi confirmed that the federation has officially received the ruling but remains steadfast in its pursuit of justice.
”We have received the notification from FIFA,” Sanusi stated.
“While the initial ruling did not go in our favor, we are prepared to challenge this through the established FIFA judicial procedures.
We believe the integrity of the competition is at stake.”
With the match date looming, Nigeria’s options are narrowing rapidly.
With the fixture set for March 31, Nigeria has less than two weeks to secure a stay of execution or a reversal.
To get a “timeous” ruling (one that happens before the match kicks off), the NFF would likely need to approach the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Switzerland for an expedited hearing.
For now, the Leopards of DR Congo remain the designated contenders and are proceeding with their match-day preparations.
Nigeria’s legal team faces an uphill battle to prove their claims and halt the proceedings before the month ends.
For now, the football world watches to see if the battle on the pitch will be overshadowed by the battle in the courtroom.
By 1960news.com
