From March 2013 to January 2024, the striker played 42 matches and scored 23 goals for Guinea. However, this participation was deemed illegal by the FIFA disciplinary committee, which made its decision public on June 3.
Nsue, born in Palma de Mallorca in Spain to a Spanish mother and an Equatorial Guinean father, began his international career with Spain’s youth teams, notably playing at the Euro Espoirs in 2011. He had subsequently requested a change of sporting nationality, a request which FIFA had refused. At the time, one had to have dual nationality before the first international match and obtain permission from FIFA, conditions which had not been met by Nsue.
Despite this refusal, Nsue continued to play for Equatorial Guinea. After his first matches with the selection, FIFA took up the matter in 2013, imposing sanctions such as fines and two matches lost on the green carpet. These measures did not prevent Nsue from continuing his career with the national team, even becoming captain.
It was only in 2024 that FIFA reopened the case, inflicting two new defeats on the green carpet to Equatorial Guinea for the 2026 World Cup qualifying matches against Namibia and Liberia. Despite these sanctions, Nsue’s international career ended after the CAN, marked by this administrative scandal.
This incredible situation demonstrates the complexities of FIFA’s rules regarding changes of sporting nationality and highlights the administrative challenges faced by national federations.
