Nigeria’s wait for a FIFA verdict on their eligibility petition against DR Congo has stretched past the three-month mark, and former Super Eagles head coach Jo Bonfrere believes the silence from Zurich may be telling a story of its own, Footynaija.com reports.
The NFF filed its petition on December 15, 2025, arguing that DR Congo fielded players who were ineligible under Congolese domestic law, which does not recognise dual nationality.
The players at the centre of the complaint include former England youth internationals Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Axel Tuanzebe, among others.
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NFF General Secretary Mohammed Sanusi has maintained throughout that FIFA was deceived into clearing those players, and that the documentation submitted by the Congolese federation was incomplete.
A ruling was expected by February 16, then pushed back further, and as of today the NFF says it has received no official communication from FIFA whatsoever.
Bonfrere’s reading
The Dutch-born coach, who guided Nigeria to Olympic gold in Atlanta in 1996 and also had two stints as Super Eagles head coach, via a report by Daily Post, that FIFA’s prolonged silence carries a message that Nigerians may not want to hear.
“I think FIFA do not seem to have found any wrongdoing by DR Congo in the petition. That could be the reason they are still investigating,” Bonfrere said.
“FIFA still investigating Nigeria’s protest till now may show they have not seen anything wrong with DR Congo.”
He also talked his frustration at the pace of proceedings.
“I think it is enough time for them to resolve the matter and release their verdict so the issue can rest. But keeping quiet, less than two weeks before the play-off kicks off, could mean they have not found anything wrong with DR Congo,” he said.
