FIFA President Gianni Infantino is facing fresh questions over a disciplinary matter related to the 2026 World Cup, this time involving the goalkeeper of the Democratic Republic of the Congo national team.
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The New York Times and French newspaper Le Monde reported that FIFA lawyers learned in March that Lionel Mpasi was suspected of being ineligible to represent DR Congo. They reportedly recommended a range of possible sanctions, including excluding the national team from the World Cup playoff against Jamaica later that month and suspending Mpasi.
Mpasi had previously represented France at youth level, making his eligibility to play for the senior DR Congo national team the subject of a legal dispute.
The case dates back to November 2025. After Nigeria lost to DR Congo on penalties in the final of the African playoff, the Nigeria Football Federation filed a protest calling for sanctions against the Congolese side for fielding ineligible players, citing issues related to players’ nationality and documentation.
FIFA initially found no violation warranting a sanction. However, its legal team reviewed the case again after the Nigerian federation requested further consideration in March 2026, at which point it reportedly determined that Mpasi was ineligible to play.
Le Monde reported that the player holds both French and Congolese citizenship and had made several appearances for France’s youth teams, while the process of switching national associations, which began in 2021, had not been completed.
However, the two newspapers reported that no action was taken and that Mpasi continued to play for DR Congo, including at the World Cup in North America.
The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (Concacaf), whose member Jamaica faced DR Congo in the global playoff, said: “Concacaf takes player eligibility matters extremely seriously and expects the applicable regulations and procedures to be applied consistently and fairly across all competitions.”
It added: “Any concerns regarding player eligibility, particularly those that could affect the integrity of a competition or the interests of one of our member associations, should be thoroughly reviewed and addressed through FIFA’s competent governance and disciplinary bodies, in accordance with the applicable regulations and due process.”
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) was also contacted for comment.
The reports add to the pressure on Infantino following the case involving American player Folarin Balogun, as well as questions over his handling of a plan for private investment in a commercial entity that would manage FIFA competitions, including the men’s and women’s World Cups.
Balogun’s one-match suspension for receiving a red card was suspended by FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee, allowing him to play in the round-of-16 match against Belgium.
US President Donald Trump later acknowledged that he had personally called Infantino to review the punishment, raising concerns about political interference in FIFA affairs.
FIFA denied any intervention by Infantino in that case and stressed that the Disciplinary Committee operates independently.
The Norwegian Football Federation had also filed complaints with FIFA’s Ethics Committee and its Governance, Audit and Compliance Committee concerning the Balogun case, the private-investment plan and FIFA’s decision last year to award Trump the FIFA Peace Prize.
