FIFA has issued a six-month ban to Emilio Nsue, the Equatorial Guinea striker, for his eligibility to play in his country’s first two World Cup qualifiers, according to the BBC.
The 34-year-old scored game-winning goals against Namibia and Liberia back in November. After conducting a comprehensive examination, the FIFA disciplinary committee determined that Nsue was ineligible to compete in “several” international matches.
As a result, both World Cup preliminary games will be ruled forfeit with a score of 3-0 in favour of their opponents.
Also, the Equatoguinean federation (Feguifut) has been fined 150,000 Swiss francs ($164,000, £129,000) and Nsue himself – who previously represented Spain at the youth level – is prohibited from playing for any national team for six months.
However, FIFA has not released any information regarding the ruling on the player who won the Golden Boot at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.
According to a Feguifut official, they are currently investigating the case and have not yet received an official notification from FIFA.
In a statement, FIFA stated that all parties involved have a period of 10 days to request a “motivated decision,” and any penalties imposed can be appealed It is worth noting that
Nsue was previously ruled ineligible by FIFA in 2013 after his first two appearances for Equatorial Guinea, which also came in World Cup qualifiers.
He had previously represented Spain in several youth games, including the Under-21 European Championship in 2011, he later became Equatorial Guinea’s all-time leading goalscorer and participated in qualifiers for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, as well multiple editions of the Nations Cup finals.
Nsue has played for various clubs such as Mallorca, Middlesbrough, and Birmingham City, and has also had stints in Cyprus and Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Currently, he plays for Intercity in Spain’s third tier.
This Saturday marks his club’s final game of the season.
If the six-point deduction stands, Equatorial Guinea’s national team, the Nzalang Nacional (National Thunder), will fall to fifth place in Group H. Currently, they hold the second position behind Tunisia based on goal difference.
The winners of the group will secure their spot in the 2026 World finals. As for the team that finishes second, they will compete in African play-offs for a chance to qualify for an inter-confederation tournament that determines the final two spots at the World Cup.
Equatorial Guinea is set to compete against Tunisia and Malawi in upcoming qualifiers next month.
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