A former Premier League footballer has been banned by FIFA after they ruled he was ineligible for his entire international career.
Emilio Nsue has played 43 times across 11 years for Equatorial Guinea's national team, where he is their captain and record goalscorer.
He won the Golden Boot at the Africa Cup of Nations tournament last year and has found the net 22 times.
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But the 34-year-old, who has turned out for both Middlesbrough and Birmingham City in England, was actually never eligible to represent them.
It's because Nsue had played for Spain at various youth levels, including official tournaments like the UEFA European Under-21 Championship which La Roja won in 2011.
He played 26 times in total but ended up switching to Equatorial Guinea without formal permission in 2013, as per AP.
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The Equatoguinean federation had sought approval from Spain but not FIFA and played in two World Cup qualifying fixtures which have now been ruled 3-0 losses.
FIFA denied requests for him to switch international allegiance but he continued to play at a high level.
A new investigation was opened in March and Nsue had a six-day window to respond.
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No reply was provided according to FIFA and now the world football governing body have published their verdict in the form of a 15-page document.
Judges have decided Nsue, now playing with Intercity in the lower tiers of Spanish football, will be banned from playing for six months.
Meanwhile, the Equatoguinean federation have been fined 150,000 Swiss francs £129,000) and two 2026 World Cup qualification wins in which he scored in have been stripped and changed to 3-0 defeats.
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Both the player and Equatoguinean federation are able to appeal their respective punishments, with the Court of Arbitration potentially stepping in to resolve the matter.
Topics: FIFA, Africa Cup Of Nations
Josh Lawless