The football authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) have declined to comment on the controversy surrounding the eligibility of some of their players, following a petition submitted by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA).

The development comes about one month after DR Congo defeated Nigeria on penalties in the final of the African play-off for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, held in Morocco.

The General Secretary of the NFF, Dr Mohammed Sanusi, confirmed on Tuesday that the federation had formally written to FIFA, alleging that DR Congo fielded ineligible players during the play-off match that eliminated Nigeria.

According to Sanusi, the petition centres on alleged violations of DR Congo’s domestic laws, which reportedly prohibit dual citizenship, contrary to the status of some players used during the encounter.

“We are waiting. The Congolese rules say you cannot have dual citizenship or nationality,” Sanusi said.

He explained that some of the players allegedly hold European passports alongside Congolese nationality.

“Wan-Bissaka has a European passport; some of them have French passports, others Dutch passports. The rules are very clear, and we have submitted our petition,” he added.

Sanusi noted that while FIFA cleared the players based on documentation presented, the world football governing body may have been misled.

“FIFA rules say once you have a passport of your country, you’re eligible, and that is why they were cleared. But our concern is that FIFA was deceived into clearing them.

“It is not FIFA’s responsibility to enforce Congo’s domestic regulations; FIFA acts based on what is submitted to it. What we are saying is that the process was fraudulent,” he said.

Another member of the NFF executive board, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the federation had done all that was required procedurally.

“NFF has done the needful. Their constitution does not allow dual citizenship, and about six to nine players had that status during the play-off. That is the loophole we are exploring.

“Our lawyers must have submitted the relevant documents to FIFA as well,” the official said.

It was gathered that although FIFA reportedly approved the players’ eligibility based on valid DR Congo passports, questions have been raised over whether they formally renounced their previous nationalities, as required by DR Congo’s constitution.

When contacted, the Chairperson of the Normalisation Committee overseeing football administration in DR Congo, Belinda Luntadila Nzuzi, declined to make substantive comments on the matter.

She said the country had not yet taken an official position.

Pressed on the credibility of the alleged breaches, Nzuzi maintained that no formal response had been issued by DR Congo football authorities.

Although FIFA has not officially named the players under investigation, reports indicate that the case involves Mario Stroeykens, Michel-Ange Balikwisha and Matthieu Epolo.

All three players previously represented Belgium at youth level before switching their international allegiance to DR Congo.

FIFA had publicly confirmed and approved their change of association between Nov. 11 and Nov. 13, 2025.

However, the current dispute reportedly focuses on issues of dual nationality and compliance with DR Congo’s domestic laws.

Of the three players, Balikwisha is the only one to have featured for DR Congo at senior level so far.

He made his debut against Nigeria during the World Cup play-off in November, coming on in extra time before scoring one of the penalties in the shoot-out.

DR Congo captain, Chancel Mbemba, subsequently converted the decisive kick, sending his team into the FIFA intercontinental play-offs at the expense of the Super Eagles.

DR Congo have been handed a bye into the final of the intercontinental play-off tournament and are scheduled to face the winner of the semi-final between New Caledonia and Jamaica by March 2026 in Mexico.

However, their participation at that stage could now be in doubt following the petition filed by the NFF.

The development has revived Nigeria’s hopes of qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, after the country narrowly missed out on the 2022 edition in Qatar.

DR Congo, meanwhile, have appeared at the FIFA World Cup only once, in 1974, when the country competed under the name Zaire.