Emilio Nsue, the Equatorial Guinea national team captain and top scorer at the 2024 Africa Cup of Nations, has been banned from all international football for six months by FIFA. The ruling comes after FIFA determined that Nsue was never eligible to play for Equatorial Guinea throughout his 11-year international career.
Nsue, who scored five goals in four appearances at the Africa Cup of Nations, had previously represented Spain at the youth level, making 26 competitive appearances from under-16 to under-21 levels. Despite this, he switched allegiances to Equatorial Guinea in 2013 without FIFA’s formal permission. FIFA initially ruled Nsue ineligible in December 2013, but he continued to play for Equatorial Guinea, participating in World Cup qualifiers for the 2018 and 2022 tournaments.
FIFA’s disciplinary committee concluded that Nsue was ineligible to play in several international matches, including the two World Cup qualifiers against Namibia and Liberia, which he won 1-0. As a result, both matches were declared forfeit with a scoreline of 3-0 in favor of their opponents. The Equatoguinean federation (Feguifut) was fined 150,000 Swiss francs ($164,000, £129,000), and Nsue was banned from playing for any national team for six months.
Nsue has the right to appeal the sanctions through FIFA and potentially the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). The ban will significantly impact Equatorial Guinea’s prospects of reaching the 2026 World Cup finals, as they will lose their two World Cup 2026 qualifying victories and fall to fifth place in Group H.
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