World football governing body, FIFA, has announced the suspension of Congo-Brazzaville from international football due to interference from outside parties in the operations of the country’s football association, Fecofoot.
The global governing body for the sport indicated that a “dire situation” of inappropriate influence represented “a clear breach of Fecofoot’s obligations” as outlined in FIFA’s regulations.
This decision was made following consultations with the Confederation of African Football (CAF) after two missions were dispatched to Brazzaville.
A statement from FIFA mentioned that the suspension will only be lifted if certain conditions are fulfilled, such as restoring complete control of the federation’s headquarters to Fecofoot and ceasing attempts to alter the signatories on the organisation’s bank accounts.
The suspension raises uncertainty regarding the scheduling of Congo’s upcoming two qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, set to take place against Tanzania and Zambia in March.
Congo currently occupies the last position in Group E, having not earned any points, following a ruling by a FIFA disciplinary panel that awarded Niger a 3-0 win after their match, which was supposed to take place in June of the previous year, was cancelled.
The Red Devils were officially the home side for a match planned to be held in Kinshasa, in neighbouring DR Congo, because Congo-Brazzaville lacked a suitable stadium for international competitions. Nevertheless, the Congolese team did not make the trip to the match, stating that an appropriate stadium was available in Brazzaville to host the event.
