FIFA has ruled that the top scorer at the 2024 Africa Cup of Nations, Emilio Nsue, was never eligible to represent Equatorial Guinea throughout his entire 11-year international career.
The world football governing body stated this on Monday in a detailed verdict.
FIFA also cancelled two wins that Equatorial Guinea recorded in qualifying games for the 2026 World Cup in November.
Nsue scored in two 1-0 victories over Namibia and Liberia.
However, FIFA has now said the former Spain U-21 international should not have played any of those matches and is now banned by FIFA for six months from national-team games.
It was a repeat judgment of FIFA disciplinary verdicts in 2013 that also ordered Equatorial Guinea to default two qualifying games for the 2014 World Cup as 3-0 losses because Nsue was ineligible.
The report noted that Nsue “apparently only acquired the Equatoguinean nationality (March 2013) after having played in his first international match in an official competition” with Spain.
The 34-year-old played 26 competitive games for Spain teams from U16 to U21 levels across six years through 2011.