Fifa has finally granted Giannelli Imbula permission to represent DR Congo at international level after a protracted delay in letting him switch allegiance.
The Stoke City midfielder, currently on loan at Lecce, is a former France U20 and U21 international and was similarly eligible to represent Belgium, the country of his birth.
Also authorized to represent DR Congo through his parents, Imbula was included in former coach Florent Ibenge’s provisional 32-man squad for this year’s Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt.
Editors' Picks
However, the 27-year-old was left out of the final 23, owing to the delay in processing his paperwork.