Emilio Nsue and the Equatorial Guinea Football Federation (Feguifut) have each filed appeals against FIFA’s May ruling that the 34-year-old has never been eligible to play for the African nation.
The ruling shocked many when FIFA declared that Nsue, the top scorer at this year’s Africa Cup of Nations, had been playing international football without proper approval since 2013. Alongside a six-month international ban for Nsue, deemed Spanish by FIFA, the governing body fined Feguifut $164,000 and deducted points from the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in which Nsue had participated.
“Our player and captain Emilio Nsue is an Equatoguinean in his own right,” Feguifut president, Venancio Tomas Ndong Micha said. “The federation and population do not understand why we’re going through this. He has his family here in Equatorial Guinea, the country of his father, and we think we will win our appeal. I hope FIFA will deliver justice.”
FIFA stated it was “comfortably satisfied” that Nsue was ineligible for “several” internationals, awarding technical 3-0 wins to Namibia and Liberia, who had lost World Cup qualifiers 1-0 last November with Nsue scoring the winner in each game.
Nsue, Equatorial Guinea’s record scorer with 22 goals, was initially ruled ineligible by FIFA in 2013 after his first two appearances for the African side. He sought to switch allegiance from Spain, where he played at youth level. FIFA did not approve the nationality switch, citing that Nsue did not hold Equatoguinean nationality when he first played for Spain in 2005, a technical requirement at the time.
Despite this, Feguifut resumed fielding Nsue in late 2013, making him a regular fixture in their side for World Cup qualifiers for 2018, 2022, and now 2026, as well as in three Nations Cups.
Ndong Micha argues that FIFA did not consider his country’s constitution, which states that an individual is Equatoguinean if their mother or father is from Equatorial Guinea. “Our constitution says that you are Equatoguinean if your mother or father are from Equatorial Guinea. So, based on our constitution, Emilio is 100% Equatoguinean, owing to his Equatoguinean father.”
Nsue, born in Spain in 1989, assumed he could play for Equatorial Guinea based on his father’s nationality and held an Equatoguinean passport before playing for Spain’s youth teams. Even if found eligible now, Feguifut still fielded him in over 40 games since FIFA’s 2013 ruling.
“We’re hopeful the appeals will be successful, that they will declare Emilio eligible, that the fine will disappear and that the points will be reinstated,” Paolo Torchetti, the legal representative for both Nsue and Feguifut, told the BBC. “Having Emilio compete for 2026 and the points reinstated is very important for the federation to develop the game in Equatorial Guinea, as it would be a massive achievement to qualify for the next World Cup.”
The six-point deduction has severely impacted Equatorial Guinea’s World Cup prospects. They dropped from second to fifth in Group H, after starting the group stage with two wins. The group winner qualifies automatically, with the second-placed side entering the playoffs.
“The news arrived like a bucket of cold water, especially given our extraordinary start to the 2026 World Cup qualifying,” said Ndong Micha.
FIFA has confirmed receipt of both appeals but has not set a specific timeline for a decision. Meanwhile, a stay of execution has been requested, allowing Nsue to play and suspending the fine pending the final outcome of the dispute.
Should they fail with FIFA, Nsue and Feguifut have one final recourse: an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
