Emilio Nsue, the top scorer at this year’s Africa Cup of Nations, and the Equatorial Guinea Football Federation (Feguifut) have both filed appeals against Fifa’s ruling that Nsue was ineligible to play for the African nation.
Fifa’s ruling in May stated that Nsue, who was deemed to be Spanish by the governing body, had been playing international football for Equatorial Guinea without approval since 2013. This decision led to a six-month international ban for Nsue, a fine of $164,000 for Feguifut, and the deduction of points from World Cup qualifiers Nsue had participated in.
Venancio Tomas Ndong Micha, the president of Feguifut, expressed his confidence in Nsue’s eligibility, stating, “Our player and captain Emilio Nsue is an Equatoguinean in his own right. The federation and population do not understand why we’re going through what we’re going through.”
Fifa’s ruling awarded 3-0 technical wins to Namibia and Liberia in World Cup qualifiers in which Nsue had played and scored the winning goal. Despite previously being ruled ineligible by Fifa in 2013, Nsue continued to represent Equatorial Guinea in various international competitions.
Ndong Micha highlighted that the country’s constitution defines Equatorial Guineans as individuals with a parent from the nation, which Nsue fulfills since his father is from Equatorial Guinea. He also mentioned that Nsue held an Equatoguinean passport before playing for Spain’s youth teams.
The loss of points from World Cup qualifiers has significantly impacted Equatorial Guinea’s position in the standings. Ndong Micha expressed frustration at the timing of Fifa’s decision and is eager to determine who may have instigated the complaint against Nsue’s eligibility.
Both Nsue and Feguifut have appealed the ruling, with the hope that justice will be served, and the points and fine will be reinstated. The outcome of the appeals remains uncertain, with the possibility of a final appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport if necessary.
