Football News Update: June 3, 2024
Equatorial Guinea Stripped of World Cup Qualifying Wins Due to Ineligible Player
In a shocking ruling, FIFA judges have determined that Emilio Nsue, the 2024 Africa Cup of Nations top scorer, was never eligible to play for the Equatorial Guinea national team throughout his 11-year international career. This decision has led to the stripping of two wins from Equatorial Guinea’s 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign.
The 34-year-old Nsue, a former Spain youth and Under-21 international, scored the winning goals in 1-0 victories over Namibia and Liberia during the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. However, FIFA’s disciplinary committee has now ruled that Nsue should not have been allowed to feature in these matches, as he had already represented Spain at the youth level before acquiring his Equatoguinean nationality in 2013.
“This is not the first time Nsue’s eligibility has been called into question. In 2013, FIFA had also ordered Equatorial Guinea to forfeit two 2014 World Cup qualifying games as 3-0 losses due to Nsue’s ineligibility. The latest verdict reaffirms the previous decision, stating that Nsue ‘apparently only acquired the Equatoguinean nationality (March 2013) after having played in his first international match in an official competition’ with Spain.”
Despite the ongoing disciplinary issues, Nsue continued to represent Equatorial Guinea, featuring in World Cup qualifying games for the 2018 and 2022 tournaments, as well as the 2015 and 2022 Africa Cup of Nations. It remains unclear why FIFA did not take action against those matches.
The latest investigation, which was opened by FIFA in March 2024, resulted in a detailed 15-page verdict dated May 10, 2024. The FIFA judges stated that Nsue “still took part in a substantial number of matches for the (men’s senior) representative team of the FEGUIFOOT over a significant period of time (while undoubtedly knowing that he was ineligible).”
Nsue, who currently plays for Spanish lower-tier club Intercity, and the Equatorial Guinea Football Federation have the option to appeal the sanctions, first to FIFA and then to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
This development comes as the football world prepares for the highly anticipated Euro 2024, Champions League, FIFA World Cup, and Women’s World Cup tournaments, as well as ongoing domestic competitions such as the Premier League, EFL Cup, EFL Championship, EFL One, EFL Two, and FA Cup.
🔗 Source