FIFA bans Emilio Nsue for six months
FIFA ruled that AFCON 2023's top scorer was ineligible to play for Equatorial Guinea.
MALABO, Equatorial Guinea — FIFA’s disciplinary committee recently reached the decision to ban Equatorial Guinea’s Emilio Nsue for six months due to his ineligibility to play for the national team. Equatorial Guinea’s football association will forfeit their first two World Cup qualifying matches against Namibia and Liberia, both of which they won 1-0 off Nsue’s goals, and will face a fine of $164,000.
Nsue, who scored five goals at AFCON 2023, was previously marked ineligible to play for Equatorial Guinea by FIFA in 2013. Nsue, eligible for Equatorial Guinea through his father’s citizenship, went on to captain Equatorial Guinea in the 2015, 2021, and 2023 AFCONs. The Intercity striker has been a mainstay in the national team, leading them to a knockout round appearance in the most recent AFCON. Nsue is the leading goalscorer in Equatoguinean history (22) and is third in all-time caps (44).
Equatorial Guinea’s ruling football body, FEGUIFUT, suspended Nsue days following the tournament, citing ‘several episodes of serious indiscipline.’ Details are sparse, but FEGUIFUT mentioned that Ivorian police had to intervene, and the incident delayed the squad’s exit from the Ivory Coast. Nsue responded with a live broadcast on his Instagram profile, labeling FEGUIFUT officials as “suckers, cancers, and corrupt.”
"They have thrown me away without any explanation. They have invented an illegal internal regime,” Nsue told viewers in Spanish. “They have humiliated me worldwide. I am going to die for my country. I am going to give the boot to the people and let them enjoy it. The national team is above everything and everyone."
FIFA did not mention any proof or evidence of Nsue’s ineligibility for the national team, but included that the committee was ‘comfortably satisfied that the player was ineligible.’
Equatorial Guinea will face a deduction of six points, bringing them to last place in their World Cup qualifying group. It’s a huge blow to their efforts of qualifying for their first World Cup ever. Equatorial Guinea will face Tunisia and Malawi in their June qualifying fixtures.