The world football governing body, FIFA has ruled that 2023 Africa Cup of Nations’ top scorer Emilio Nsue was never eligible to play for Equatorial Guinea throughout his 11-year career with the national team.

Nsue became an important player for Equatorial Guinea, pushing the team beyond the group stage of the 2023 AFCON, and becoming the highest goal scorer.

Nsue Accuses Equatorial Guinea of Fraud

Immediately after receiving his golden boot, the Equatorial Guinean FA announced that Nsue had been banned indefinitely for “misconduct” during the tournament.

Reacting to the ban, the Veteran appeared on Africa Futbolera’s Instagram Live and claimed that the FA took €1 million from the prize money they earned after the tournament.

Nsue also alleged that the country’s FA did not congratulate him for winning the golden boot, failed to provide kits for their group stage game against Nigeria (which ended in a 1-1 draw), and owed money to the hotel they used in Ivory Coast.

“They have dropped me without explanation and they have invented an illegal internal regime. They have publicly humiliated me,” Nsue said.

Equatorial Guinea’s Emilio Nsue holds the Highest goal scorer award. (Media/Getty Images)

“The FA threatened certain local players and took money from them, but I said no and this is unfair.

“They humiliated me and threw me out. The national team is above everything and everyone.”

Following this, the 34-year-old striker, who scored 23 goals and made one assist in 43 appearances for Equatorial Guinea, announced his retirement from the national team.

Why FIFA Denied Nsue’s Switch

Players who represent one country at the junior level can apply to switch international allegiance as long as they have not won a competitive senior cap and as long as they have dual nationality.

However, FIFA denied Nsue’s request to switch because he acquired Equatoguinean nationality only after having played at the junior level for Spain.

“Nsue apparently acquired Equatorial Guinean nationality (March 2013) only after playing his first international match in an official competition with Spain,” the FIFA judges wrote in their judgment.

By that time, he had already made two appearances for Equatorial Guinea in qualifiers for the 2014 World Cup, leading to a fine for the team.

In December 2013, FIFA ruled that Nsue was not eligible to play for Equatorial Guinea.

Despite this ruling, Nsue continued to represent them in the 2018 and 2022 World Cup qualifiers and competed in three Cup of Nations tournaments.

FIFA Ruling

FIFA. (Photo Illustration by Pavlo Gonchar/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

FIFA opened a new investigation into Nsue’s eligibility in March, giving him a six-day deadline to respond which he did not respond to.

FIFA then published its judgment in a 15-page ruling on Monday, banning the 34-year-old for six months despite his retirement.

For Equatorial Guinea still calling up Nsue despite his ineligibility, they were stripped of their World Cup 2026 qualification victories against Namibia and Liberia, which they won 1-0 with Nsue scoring both goals.

Their opponents, Namibia and Liberia, have been awarded 3-0 victories.

This repeats FIFA’s 2013 disciplinary verdict, which ordered Equatorial Guinea to lose two 2014 World Cup qualifying matches by default due to Nsue’s ineligibility.

As it stands, Equatorial Guinea is at the bottom of the table with 0 points from two games.