Scandals Continue to Dog Gianni Infantino Months After World Cup
FIFA allowed a player to compete despite being ineligible, reports show.
The World Cup concluded in July, yet FIFA's troubles persist in October. Reports from The New York Times and Le Monde allege that FIFA permitted Democratic Republic of Congo goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi to participate in the World Cup despite his ineligibility. This occurred months before the tournament, following DR Congo's victory over Nigeria in World Cup qualifiers in November.
The Nigeria Football Federation submitted a comprehensive grievance to FIFA, claiming that DR Congo failed to properly clear Mpasi's move from France to the DR Congo national team. Mpasi, born in France and making his international debut in 2022, helped DR Congo secure a World Cup berth by defeating Jamaica in a March qualifier.
DR Congo faced Portugal, Colombia, and Uzbekistan, advancing to a Round of 32 match against England. Mpasi was largely unscathed by England's late goals, which secured a 2-1 victory for England. FIFA declined to comment, stating that its autonomous committees decide cases based on applicable regulations and specific facts. Critics have questioned Infantino's close ties with the president of DR Congo's soccer federation, Véron Mosengo-Omba, who ran unopposed following FIFA's clearance of Mpasi.
Infantino's FIFA Forward Enterprise plan, which aimed to sell World Cup stakes to private investors, was hastily abandoned over strong opposition. This led to intense global pressure to replace him as FIFA president. However, no candidate has emerged to challenge Infantino in the upcoming March election. Norway's football federation, Norges Fotballforbund, filed two complaints with FIFA committees regarding Infantino's actions, including the FIFA Peace Prize he awarded to Trump, the red card case involving Folarin Balogun, and FIFA's governance measures.
The NFF president, Lisa Klaveness, a vocal critic of Infantino, called for an investigation into potential rule violations and calls for accountability under FIFA's own rules.
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