AFCON Golden Boot winner Emilio Nsue hit with six-month football ban as FIFA rule he was ineligible for entire 11-year career with Equatorial Guinea

The FIFA ruling comes after an investigation found that the Equatorial Guinea captain was not eligible to play for the country over the last eleven years, after having represented Spain at youth level in an official tournament - as per The Guardian.

The Guardian adds that back in 2013, FIFA had ruled Nsue ineligible to play for the West African country and the two matches he had played for them in their 2014 World Cup qualifiers had been handed to their opponents. Equatorial Guinea made a request to have Nsue released from the Spanish FA but had never requested the same from FIFA, and continued on with their inclusion of Nsue in their side.

FIFA started their investigation into Nsue's eligibility in March 2023, and the Equatorial Guinea forward failed to respond to their claims within the provided six-day period. The investigation has now found him guilty and he has been handed a six-month football ban along with a fine of 150,000 Swiss francs (£131,000).

The West African nation's 1-0 wins over Namibia and Liberia in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers have also been handed over to the opposition as 3-0 forfeits due to Nsue's presence in the team. Nsue has scored 23 goals in 40 appearances for Equatorial Guinea, including five at the last AFCON, which saw him land the Golden Boot.

The FIFA disciplinary committee clarified that because the 2026 World Cup qualifiers are an ongoing competition, it only took action in regard to those events. Nsue now has the option to appeal the decision through FIFA and, in the event that it is not successful, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas).