‘African Football Plays Extra Time in the Courts’: Troost-Ekong Slams CAF and FIFA Over Controversial Verdicts

Former Super Eagles captain William Troost-Ekong has voiced strong criticism of recent rulings by FIFA and CAF, insisting they expose deeper flaws in the governance of African football.

Nigeria’s protest against DR Congo during the World Cup qualifiers was dismissed by FIFA on technical grounds, despite the Nigeria Football Federation alleging that DR Congo had wrongly registered Europe-born players.

FIFA ruled that Nigeria failed to submit its complaint on time and did not pay the required fee. Troost-Ekong believes such decisions undermine confidence in the system.

At the same time, CAF’s Appeals Board overturned Senegal’s victory in the AFCON 2025 final, awarding the trophy to Morocco.

Senegal had originally won 1-0 after extra time, but their 17-minute walk-off protest against a penalty decision was judged a breach of tournament regulations. CAF applied Articles 82 and 84, recording the match as a 3-0 win for Morocco.

Troost-Ekong told The Athletic: ‘African football seems to be the only place where you can play extra time in the courts, and it happens too often. Serious questions need to be asked about changing the outcomes of games in this manner. We are also seeing it with Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of Congo over World Cup 2026 qualification.’

He called for stronger checks and reforms: ‘Maybe there needs to be more rigorous checks at the start of the tournament about whether players have the right documentation to play and if the referees are capable of making the right decisions.

‘We need to give them the power to do that, regardless of whether it is the opening game or the final. This might seem basic, but it needs to be reiterated to give the players confidence again.’

Troost-Ekong urged CAF to involve former players in decision-making

‘Going forward, we need former players and people who have been a part of the most celebrated moments of African football to be involved with CAF and guide them on what can be improved. We shouldn’t have to try to fight from the outside. It will help CAF to truly understand what it takes to make certain key decisions.’