FIFA decided to lift the non-payment sanction against Equatorial Guineas men’s team, a move that allows them to enter the group-stage draw for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. The decision came just before the draw in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, amid reporting from the CAF and regional outlets in Europe and Africa.
Equatorial Guinea had faced the sanction in February 2022 after the federation, FEGUIFUT, admitted it had failed to honor payments for five years. The debts, exceeding two million euros, were linked to contracts with Spanish coaches Esteban Becker and José Antonio Pozanco. Despite multiple payment orders from the Court of Arbitration for Sport and FIFA, the funds remained unsettled, and the sport’s highest authorities proceeded with the sanctions. Becker and Pozanco had not received any payment as the situation stood.
An alleged non-existing deal
FIFA’s rationale for lifting the ban on the eve of the draw rested on a letter from Equatorial Guinea’s Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports, Pedro Nguema, which claimed a settlement had been reached with Becker and Pozanco. Representatives for the two coaches later described the agreement as non-existent. FIFA did not verify the timing or method of any settlement with Becker and Pozanco directly, instead noting only that the government would make an initial payment of one million dollars and that the remainder would be paid through FEGUIFUT funds at FIFA. The specifics of timing and payment channels were not detailed.
Despite questions about the certainty of future payments and the formal agreement with the affected parties, FIFA announced that credible evidence suggested Becker and Pozanco would be paid and therefore temporarily lifted the ban on Equatorial Guinea from participating in the World Cup qualifiers. Becker and Pozanco formally objected to the decision, arguing that FEGUIFUT had not yet received the money owed for six years. Reports indicate there has been no reply to their objection to date.
Six years of struggle
The debt to Becker and Pozanco surfaced during a leadership transition at FEGUIFUT in 2017, with key figures changing and some officials leaving the federation before the end of their contracts. The two Spanish coaches pressed for repayment, asserting their claims before FIFA and the African federation’s sports arbitration system. The African federation’s output supported the payment obligation, and FIFA’s position aligned with that, reinforcing the push for settlement.
Recently elected FEGUIFUT president Venancio Tomás Ndong publicly indicated a willingness to resign if necessary to address the debt, suggesting a sense of urgency around the financial dispute. The ongoing disagreements and mixed messages contributed to the country’s absence from the World Cup draw in earlier years. The sanctions eventually lifted, yet Becker and Pozanco had not seen any funds reach their pockets, underscoring a broader pattern of delayed or contested payments affecting coaches and federation personnel across the region.