- The Court of Arbitration for Sports has upheld the six-point deduction imposed on Equatorial Guinea
- Equatorial Guinea fielded striker Emilio Nsue for two matches, which FIFA later ruled he was ineligible for
- The ruling sends a message to South Africa, which faces an anxious wait after fielding Teboho Mokoena vs Lesotho
The Court of Arbitration for Sports has upheld the six-point deduction FIFA imposed on Equatorial Guinea for fielding an ineligible player.
FIFA imposed a six-point penalty on Equatorial Guinea in the ongoing 2026 World Cup qualifier after striker Emilio Nsue featured in the 1-0 wins over Namibia and Liberia in November 2023.
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Emilio Nsue, who had featured regularly for the country, was deemed ineligible after FIFA ruled he was not cleared to complete a switch from Spain to Equatorial Guinea.
The discussions around his ineligibility gained popularity after he won the Golden Boot at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations held in Ivory Coast in early 2024.
According to CAF Online, Nsue has been playing for the Central African country since 2013, but FIFA ruled him eligible to play in March 2025, thus not acknowledging his previous matches.
FIFA had docked Equatorial Guinea six points after Nsue featured against Namibia and Liberia since 2024, but the Guineans appealed this year after FIFA cleared.
The National Thunder are fifth in Group H with 10 points, and argued against FIFA that they could still secure a playoff spot if their points were returned.
CAS upholds FIFA ruling on Equatorial Guinea
According to BBC Sport, the Court of Arbitration for Sports has upheld FIFA’s ruling on Equatorial Guinea, which docked them six points for fielding Emilio Nsue before he became permitted to play for the country.
The central Africans will not have their points returned after CAS ruled that Nsue’s validation was official in March 2025, and decisions before remain the same.
The ruling sends a message across Group C of the CAF qualifying series, where Nigeria and Benin Republic are pushing for South Africa to be docked three points.
Bafana Bafana fielded Teboho Mokoena during their 2-0 victory over Lesotho on matchday five, despite the midfielder being ineligible for the match.
The Mamelodi Sundowns star received yellow cards on matchday one and four and was suspended for the match, but racked up over 80 minutes.
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Six months later, FIFA are yet to make an official statement, with South Africans arguing that unless their neighbours, Lesotho, file a case, they are safe.
South Africa sit top of Group C with 17 points, Benin Republic are second with 14 points, while Nigeria sit third with 11 points, and Rwanda in fourth also have 11 points.
If South Africa gets sanctioned, it will change the landscape of the group and give a chance for the other three teams to qualify, excluding Lesotho and Zimbabwe.
Gernot Rohr puts pressure on FIFA
Legit.ng reported that Gernot Rohr pressured FIFA with his statement following his Benin Republic side’s resounding 4-0 victory over Lesotho.
The former Super Eagles boss claimed that his team is on course for qualification and are awaiting FIFA’s verdict on Bafana Bafana, who have breached the rule.
Source: Legit.ng