DR Congo Ineligible Player: NFF sent petition to wrong email – FIFA

One of the technical grounds on which FIFA dismissed Nigeria’s protest against DR Congo for fielding an ineligible player in the world cup qualifiers was that the mail which they used in sending the petition wasn’t the right one.

DR Congo pipped Nigeria to book a place in the intercontinental playoff with a 4-3 win on penalties after both teams stayed locked at 1-1 after extra time.

According to the New York Times, FIFA discovered that Nigeria’s petition against Lionel Mpasi who was in goal in the playoff final didn’t fulfill the requirements of his nationality

switch from France to Congo, before taking part in the game.

However they dismissed the appeal by Nigeria on what they term as technical grounds following the late filing of the case by Nigeria. A bogus claim which has now put them under intense

scrutiny from the world at large.

According to a highly placed source at the National Sports Commission (NSC), FIFA cited the fact that the petition was sent to the General Secretary (GS) rather than the legal portal as part of the technical ground on which it was dismissed.

A laughable claim because all petitions and correspondence are first and foremost routed to the GS, who most times reply nations and give directions on where complaints should be forwarded to.

Another ground was that it was filed late. A lame excuse because doing the right thing after an infraction of such magnitude shouldn’t be time barred.