The biggest scandal, which provoked calls for Gianni Infantinoโs resignation, was an attempt to sell the FIFA World Cup rights to private investors. This accident was so big that people soon forgot another misdeed of the FIFA president โ Balogun's one-match suspension during the World Cup, which was overturned into a one-year suspended sanction. The governing body described the punishment as being deferred into a "conditional period of one year", but the USA president, Donald Trump, revealed he called Gianni Infantino over the playerโs red card and influenced the decision. And now we have another scandal, not as big as marketing rights, but as big as Balogunโs red card. It involves DR Congo goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi.##TWITTER_<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">๐จ ๐๐ฅ๐๐๐๐๐ก๐: England played against an INELIGIBLE player at the 2026 World Cup, with FIFA aware of the issue before the tournament even took place. DR Congo goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi had NOT completed the required paperwork to switch his international representation from France to DR Congo. FIFA discovered the issue after launching an investigation following a complaint from Nigeria, but still cleared Mpasi to play in DR Congoโs final World Cup play-off and at the tournament. He later produced a series of HUGE saves against England in the Round of 32 before Harry Kane scored twice late on.</p>— The Touchline | ๐ (@TouchlineX) <a href="https://x.com/TouchlineX/status/2107423995528155587?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 6, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>##According to The New York Times and Le Monde, lawyers for world footballโs global governing body became aware in March that Lionel Mpasi was allegedly ineligible, and advised a variety of sanctions which could be imposed, including disqualifying DR Congo from the intercontinental play-off against Jamaica later that month and banning Mpasi. Butt, apparently, nothing happened, and the keeper went to the World Cup and played for the Leopards, including an England Round of 32 game."CONCACAF takes player eligibility matters very seriously and expects the applicable regulations and procedures to be applied consistently and fairly in all competitions. Any concerns regarding player eligibility, particularly those that may affect the integrity of a competition or the interests of one of our member associations, should be thoroughly reviewed and addressed through FIFAโs appropriate governance and disciplinary bodies, in accordance with established regulations and due process" reads the statement from CONCACAF, the confederation representing Jamaica, DR Congoโs intercontinental play-off opponents.##LINKED_NEWS_67189##Nigeria is also a country which was affected by this acknowledgement, and the Super Eagles are contemplating their options. A top Nigerian National Sports Commission official says Nigeria have been vindicated over their challenge to DR Congo's use of ineligible players in World Cup qualifying and are "exploring all options" including seeking compensation from FIFA for missing the 2026 World Cup, writes ESPN.โNothing has been decided yet, but we will seriously consider seeking compensation from FIFA for all of the economic losses this has cost Nigeria. The revenue that the Super Eagles and the NFF would have received from participating at the World Cup, the exposure that players would have got, transfers, the sponsorship fees, even the boost to the Nigerian economy. We are exploring all our options as a country and nothing is off the table" the NSC official told ESPN.UEFA NATIONS LEAGUE – DIVISION ATuesday21.45: (7.75) Croatia (5.10) Spain (1.37)21.45: (1.13) England (9.00) Czech R. (17.0)***odds are subject to change***——————————————————-UEFA NATIONS LEAGUE – DIVISION CTuesday17.00: (2.30) Kazakhstan (3.10) Faroe I. (3.10)21.45: (6.50) Moldova (4.20) Slovakia (1.45)***odds are subject to change***
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