November 29 – Tunisia are the latest African country to have their attempt to reach the World Cup finals through the back door quashed by FIFA. Invoking the ineligible player argument has become almost de rigueur in Africa, sometimes successfully, sometimes not. Tunisia claimed Cameroon fielded two in their recent World Cup qualifying playoff won by the Indomitable Lions on a 4-1 aggregate.
Officials from the north African nation had complained that Joel Matip of Schalke and Mainz’s Eric Choupo Moting shouldn’t have been used by Cameroon in the two-legged tie due to nationality issues.
Both players were born in Germany to Cameroonian fathers and German mothers, and have been playing with Cameroon since 2010, including playing in that year’s World Cup in South Africa. Choupo Moting initially represented Germany in the junior ranks before switching allegiance, a rule permissible under FIFA regulations though frowned upon by many.
“FIFA communicated to the Tunisia Football Federation today, that no breach of the FIFA regulations has been committed by the Cameroon Football Federation in relation to the matter at hand,” FIFA said in a statement.
Ironically Tunisia reached the playoffs only because group-stage rival Cape Verde Islands did field an ineligible player.
FIFA have also thrown out Burkina Faso’s protest that Algeria also fielded an ineligible player in another contentious African World Cup playoff, won on the away goals rule by the Algerians.
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