Media reports allege FIFA knew Congo's Mpasi was ineligible for World Cup

Ahead of the World Cup, FIFA knew that Congo’s goalkeeper was ineligible, but they allowed him to continue at the tournament. This is what media reports released by the New York Times and Le Monde on Tuesday suggest.

The publications cited internal FIFA documents centres on the case of Lionel Mpasi that heightened scrutiny on the soccer body’s disciplinary processes. According to the reports, 32-year-old Mpasi - once a France under-17 international - never completed the process of changing his national eligibility to Congo, where he has family ties.

Mpasi participated in all four of Congo’s games at the World Cup, including the 1-1 tie against Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal. He also played in five qualifiers over the past year including a win over Jamaica in March that sent Congo to its first World Cup in more than five decades.

The reports allege he was never eligible and could have been forfeited under FIFA rules. They add that according to the FIFA documents, defaulting Congo’s results in qualifying games in which Mpasi participated, would have enabled Burkina Faso instead to reach the African playoffs.