After a decade, Emilio Nsue cleared again to represent Equatorial Guinea

Equatorial Guinea’s record goalscorer Emilio Nsue has been officially cleared to play for the country by Fifa – more than a decade after the former Spain youth international made his senior debut for the African nation.

There was widespread surprise in May last year when football’s world governing body handed Nsue, now 35, a six-month ban, deeming him ineligible to play in 2026 World Cup qualifiers.

At the time, Fifa said it was “comfortably satisfied” that Nsue, who won the golden boot at last year’s Africa Cup of Nations, had never received clearance to formalise his switch from Spain.

But that changed on Wednesday when Fifa approved a second request by Equatorial Guinea’s football federation (Feguifut) – twelve years after its first attempt.

“Fifa’s decision has been very positive for us and for all the people of Equatorial Guinea,” Feguifut president Venancio Tomas Ndong Micha told BBC sport Africa.

“After so many years, and months, we were able to show that Emilio was eligible and finally Fifa showed justice in this case.”

Fifa’s shock ruling last year came 43 games after Nsue’s 2013 debut for Equatorial Guinea, a side he has often captained and for whom he has scored a record 22 goals.

After he struck twice in World Cup qualifying wins against Namibia and Liberia in late 2023, Fifa ruled that both games would be forfeited 3-0.

Feguifut was also fined 150,000 Swiss francs ($164,000, £129,000) for fielding the player, who had previously taken part in both the 2018 and 2022 World Cup qualifying campaigns without incident.

The second – and ultimately successful – bid to change Nsue’s allegiance was launched shortly after his six-month ban ended, while a Feguifut appeal last year resulted in the fine being reduced to 50,000 Swiss francs, with the remaining 100,000 suspended for two years.

Fifa’s ruling in May 2024 stunned both Nsue and Feguifut president Ndong Micha, given neither thought his eligibility was an issue.

It transpired, however, that a previous Feguifut regime had failed to file the correct paperwork and follow procedure in 2013.

Having played nearly 50 times for Spain’s youth teams, it was in February of that year that the Equatoguinean federation first wrote to Fifa requesting the change of allegiance before – despite receiving no approval – then fielding the forward in two games over four months.

In response, Fifa sanctioned Equatorial Guinea, awarding technical 3-0 wins to their opponents, stating that Nsue was ineligible as he did not have Equatoguinean nationality when first representing Spain in 2005 (a requirement at the time).

Four months later, however, Nsue was back on the field for Equatorial Guinea – for a friendly against Spain, ironically – and he continued to play, including at three Nations Cups, until Fifa took its belated action.

Speaking to the BBC in July 2024, Ndong Micha claimed that Fifa had not taken into account his country’s constitution, which states that anyone born to a mother or father from the country is automatically an Equatoguinean upon birth.

A statement to this extent by Equatorial Guinea’s minister for justice, culture and human rights was crucial in enabling Fifa’s recent U-turn.

The fact that Nsue could show an old Equatoguinean passport from 2004, a document which preceded his first Spain youth appearance, also helped win the case.

“Thanks to our lawyer Paolo (Torchetti), who has been key, we have been able to show all necessary documentation relating to Emilio’s eligibility,” added Ndong Micha, calling Fifa’s decision ‘vital’.

The Central African nation now hopes its lost points can be returned as the nation of two million looks to qualify for its maiden World Cup.

The deduction took Equatorial Guinea, once second in Group H with nine points from four games, to second bottom in a group topped by Tunisia.

Nsue is now set to feature in this month’s World Cup qualifiers at home to Sao Tome and Principe and away against Namibia.

“Now that Emilio has been deemed eligible to play for Equatorial Guinea, I think the World Cup points should be coming back to us in the future,” said Ndong Micha.

“We want the six points as this will give us renewed hope as we fight to qualify.”

Liberia and Malawi are the other nations in the six-team group.

Only the winners will qualify automatically for the tournament in Canada, Mexico and the USA, while the four best-placed runners-up will have a second chance via the play-offs.