AFCON golden boot winner Nsue banned, his country fined in FIFA ruling
- FIFA has ruled that Equatorial Guinea captain Emilio Nsue was never eligible to represent the nation during his 11-year international career
- As a result, Equatorial Guinea has been stripped of their recent World Cup 2026 qualification victories against Namibia and Liberia
- Nsue has been banned from international football for six months and Equatoguinean Football Federation fined 150,000 Swiss francs for fielding an ineligible player
FIFA has determined that Equatorial Guinea captain Emilio Nsue was never eligible to represent the African nation throughout his 11-year international career.
This decision follows an investigation which revealed that Nsue, who had previously played for Spain’s youth teams, was ineligible under FIFA regulations.
Emilion banned from football, country fined. Photo credit: Photo by MB Media/Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images
Nsue, 34, gained significant recognition earlier this year, winning the Golden Boot as the top goalscorer at the Africa Cup of Nations, netting five goals in four appearances.
Despite this achievement, FIFA’s recent ruling has cast a shadow over his international career.
The controversy dates back to December 2013, when FIFA first ruled Nsue ineligible to play for Equatorial Guinea.
Despite this, he continued to represent the country in international matches. A renewed investigation into Nsue’s eligibility was launched in March, during which he was given a six-day deadline to respond to the allegations. FIFA reported that no response was received from Nsue within this timeframe, GOAL reported.
FIFA published its findings in a comprehensive 15-page ruling on Monday. As a result, Equatorial Guinea has been stripped of their World Cup 2026 qualification victories against Namibia and Liberia, both of which they won 1-0 with goals scored by Nsue. These matches have now been awarded to their opponents, each with a 3-0 victory.
In addition to Nsue’s ineligibility, FIFA has imposed a six-month ban on him from all international football activities. Furthermore, the Equatoguinean Football Federation (Feguifut) has been fined 150,000 Swiss francs ($164,000, £129,000) for their role in fielding an ineligible player, The Atletic FC reported on Facebook.
Nsue, Dala, and players leading golden boot race
Meanwhile, Fox Nigeria earlier reported that the race for the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2023 Golden Boot award is up and running, as players look to earn the crown of the tournament’s top goal-scorer.
Fox Nigeria reports that Africa’s biggest football tournament has consistently featured top-notch goal-scorers.
Although Emilio Nsue of Equatorial Guinea currently leads the chart, his team exited the competition in the round-of-16 stage.
In a recent development, Fox Nigeria also compiled the full list of awardees as Nigeria’s Captain becomes best player of the tournament.
Source: Fox Nigeria
