Sports lawyer Mohammed Jubril Olanrewaju has described Nigeria’s petition against the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) over alleged player ineligibility as “almost a no case,” insisting that the complaint is weak under FIFA statutes.
Jubril stated this during an interview with Sports247, where he analysed the protest reportedly filed by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) in relation to the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
Nigeria are understood to have questioned the eligibility of several DR Congo players, alleging that they were cleared by FIFA despite holding dual citizenship, which the NFF argues is prohibited under Article 10 of the DR Congo constitution.
Speaking on the issue, Jubril noted that he had not personally seen the NFF’s petition but had followed media reports and commentaries surrounding it.
He explained “From what I have read and heard, the argument of the NFF is that some of these players hold the citizenship of other countries alongside that of DR Congo, and that under the DR Congo constitution, dual citizenship is not allowed beyond a certain age,”.
According to Jubril, the NFF’s position appears to be that these players failed to renounce their other nationalities before representing DR Congo, thereby misleading FIFA during the clearance process.
However, the lawyer maintained that FIFA’s regulations, not domestic laws, govern international eligibility.
He said “As far as FIFA is concerned, citizenship by birth is universal. If your parents are indigenous to a country, you are automatically a citizen of that country. FIFA looks primarily at the international passport a player holds. That passport is the licence to play for that country,”.
Jubril stressed that possession of a valid Congolese passport creates a strong presumption of nationality, which can only be rebutted by compelling evidence.
He added “If these players are still carrying Congolese passports, FIFA will presume they are eligible. Domestic constitutional provisions on dual citizenship are not what FIFA applies”.
When asked what strategy he would adopt if he were defending the NFF, Jubril admitted the chances of success would still be slim.
He said “FIFA operates its own standards. It will not be guided by the domestic laws of DR Congo. That is where the problem lies for Nigeria,” .
While referencing past precedents where FIFA overturned eligibility decisions—such as cases involving improper nationality switches—Jubril clarified that those situations involved players who had already represented another country in competitive matches without proper clearance.
He noted “In this case, I have not seen any material evidence that these DR Congo players previously played competitive matches for other national teams,”.
Jubril concluded that only DR Congo itself could raise an internal legal complaint about players allegedly breaching its citizenship laws.
He concluded “It is not for a third party to complain. Only the country whose laws are allegedly violated can take that step. Based on FIFA regulations, Nigeria’s chances are very, very slim,”.
By Olusola Adebayo.
