Equatorial Guinea has been ordered by FIFA to forfeit two World Cup qualifying matches for fielding ineligible player Emilio Nsue, marking the second such disciplinary action against him in 11 years.
FIFA announced on Friday that the forfeits would be registered as 3-0 losses, impacting Equatorial Guinea’s standings in the qualifying group for the 2026 World Cup.
The decision follows Equatorial Guinea’s victories against Namibia and Liberia last November, in which Nsue scored the decisive goals. These forfeits now place Equatorial Guinea at the bottom of its six-team group, a significant drop from being tied with group leader Tunisia.
Only the group winners will advance to the World Cup, which is set to be hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
Nsue, who recently topped the scoring charts at the Africa Cup of Nations, was cleared to play in that tournament by the Confederation of African Football (CAF). The 34-year-old, born in Spain, has a diverse club career spanning teams in England, Cyprus, and Bosnia-Herzegovina.
FIFA has also imposed a fine of 150,000 Swiss francs ($164,000) on the Equatorial Guinea soccer federation and has banned Nsue from playing for any national team for six months. The specifics of the eligibility breach were not disclosed, with FIFA stating only that its judges were “comfortably satisfied” of the infraction.
This ruling is part of a broader issue with Equatorial Guinea’s history of fielding ineligible players. Previous incidents include the disqualification of their women’s team from the 2012 London Olympics and the 2019 Women’s World Cup. In 2015, the men’s team was barred from Africa Cup qualifying playoffs for fielding a player without FIFA’s approval.
