FIFA officials determined that the Democratic Republic of Congo had fielded an ineligible player in the lead-up to the 2026 World Cup but allowed the team to continue competing, according to internal documents and correspondence reviewed by The New York Times.
The findings centred on goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi, who had previously played for France’s youth teams but had not completed the documentation required to switch his international affiliation, the documents showed.
Congo needed to beat Jamaica in a decisive playoff to qualify for the World Cup for the first time in 52 years.
Despite FIFA’s finding, the governing body allowed Mpasi to continue playing and Congo went on to defeat Jamaica, securing its place at the tournament.
The case followed a complaint by Nigeria after Congo defeated the country to reach the match against Jamaica.
According to the documents, FIFA considered several possible actions during its review. These included awarding Nigeria the match, imposing fines, replacing Congo with Nigeria in the playoff against Jamaica or taking no action because Nigeria had submitted its complaint late.
FIFA did not deny the findings reported by The Times, saying Nigeria’s case was dismissed on a technicality.
In an email to The Times, FIFA said its committees were “autonomous and decide cases based on the applicable regulations and the specific facts before them.” It said Mr. Infantino had no role in such decisions.
FIFA’s handling of the case has raised questions because the governing body has previously punished teams for fielding ineligible players.
In 2016, FIFA imposed a 3-0 defeat on Greece after the country fielded a player who had represented Australia at youth level.
Two years later, FIFA changed the results of two Bolivia matches in qualifying for the 2018 World Cup after finding that Bolivia had fielded a player who had previously represented Paraguay.
The Congo decision has had significant consequences for Nigerian football. Nigeria’s defeat contributed to the resignation of the entire board of the country’s football federation.
Ibrahim Musa Gusau, the federation’s president at the time, said he was told that Nigeria’s complaint had been dismissed for technical reasons but was not informed about FIFA’s finding regarding Mpasi’s eligibility.
“They just kept quiet, and they can’t tell anyone because they know it’s going to be a serious crisis for them,” he said of FIFA. He called for an investigation.
The Times reviewed a document that matched Mr. Gusau’s description of FIFA’s response.
The case also raises questions about FIFA president Gianni Infantino’s political ties in Africa.
Infantino has invested significant political capital and millions of dollars in development funds across Africa’s 54 nations. Most African football associations are expected to support him in next year’s FIFA presidential election.
FIFA has 211 members, with each association holding one vote, making African support important to Infantino’s bid to remain in office.
At the time of FIFA’s eligibility review, Véron Mosengo-Omba, an Infantino ally, was preparing to run for president of Congo’s football federation.
Two months later, following Congo’s qualification for the World Cup, Mosengo-Omba became the federation’s sole candidate and was elected president. Eight other candidates had either withdrawn or been expelled after changes to eligibility rules.
Prince Zelkifli Rahman Ngoufonja, a former FIFA official from Cameroon known as Prince Zul, said the relationship between Infantino and Mosengo-Omba raised questions.
“If FIFA removed Congo from the World Cup,” Prince Zul said, Infantino’s ally’s prospects “could have been damaged.”
Mosengo-Omba said he had not known about FIFA’s findings.
Jamaica, which lost to Congo in the decisive qualifier, did not respond to a request for comment.
CONCACAF, which oversees football in the Caribbean and North America, expressed concern about the process.
“Any concerns regarding player eligibility, particularly those that may affect the integrity of a competition or the interests of one of our member associations, need to be thoroughly reviewed and addressed,” the body said in a statement.
Infantino is due to meet African football officials in Cape Verde this week as he seeks to strengthen political support ahead of the FIFA presidential election.
“Infantino needs Africa for survival,” Prince Zul said. “He can’t afford to lose members in Africa.”
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