Emilio Nsue: FIFA confirms AFCON 2023 top scorer should never have played for stripped Equatorial Guinea

FIFA has announced that Emilio Nsue, the top scorer of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), should never have played for the Equatorial Guinea national team, Nzalang Nacional.

The world football governing body has delivered a damning verdict, stating that Nsue, who represented Equatorial Guinea for 11 years, was ineligible to do so in the first place.

According to a FIFA disciplinary committee, led by Anin Yeboah of Ghana, the 34-year-old forward had played competitively for Spain's youth teams, rendering him ineligible to represent the African nation.

This shocking revelation has led to severe consequences for Equatorial Guinea, who have been stripped of six points and forced to start their 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign from scratch.

FIFA had initially denied a request in 2013 for Nsue to change his nationality, but the Equatorial Guinea federation disregarded the ruling and continued to field the player.

In total, Nsue earned 43 caps for Equatorial Guinea, scoring 23 goals, including five at the recent AFCON tournament in Côte d'Ivoire, where he emerged as the top scorer.

Nsue has yet to respond to the sanction, and FIFA says it is still awaiting a reply from the player, who had six days from the day of sanction.

This scandal has rocked Equatorial Guinea’s football,, raising questions about the integrity of national team representations and the enforcement of FIFA's eligibility rules.

The impact of this decision on Equatorial Guinea's future in international football remains to be seen.