Equatorial Guinea's Iban Salvador: "We will keep protesting"

It is open war between the Equatorial Guinean federation, Emilio Nsue and Ivan Salvador. Since their elimination from the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, Nzalang Nacional have been in the grip of a full-blown crisis. Iban Salavador, head coach Juan Micha and Emilio Nsue have all been suspended on disciplinary grounds. Ivan Salvador looks back on the episode in an interview with So Foot. He says: "I found out like everybody else: on social media. (Laughs.) It was the day after the game against Guinea, I was asked to look at the news, and I came across the federation's statement. It's crazy because you're caught off guard and you don't know how to react. Who do you go to? What do you say to them? So with Emilio, who was the other player named in the affair, plus the coach, we agreed not to speak publicly before the end of the tournament. That's why we made that video two days later."

All of the federation's accusations are completely false, Salvador maintains. "Everything we have been accused of is false, plain and simple. I've been in the national team for ten years. I won my first cap at 18 and I've never had the slightest problem since. What's more, our generation has done nothing but improve. And now they're saying we're causing chaos in the squad?! So with Emilio, who is our captain, we decided to hit back by shining a light on the actions of certain federation members who think first and foremost about their own situation."

"There is an internal procedure under way"

Iban Salvador stresses the corruption that is eating away at Equatorial Guinean football. "What we want to denounce is a problem for many African national teams: corruption. Too many federation officials use money that should normally go to local football for personal ends. For a long time, football in Equatorial Guinea had a bad reputation, because the federation naturalised foreigners instead of trusting the country's own players. Then there was a clean-up at the end of the 2010s with the arrival of dual nationals and a generation that truly loves the country. And now we're falling back into our old ways, but if that's the price to pay for our football to be even cleaner than before, then we will keep protesting", he insists.

The tug-of-war between the federation and the players is also far from over, as they have launched a procedure to clean up Equatorial Guinean football. "We reached a consensus not to say too much in the media. There is an internal procedure under way to remove those whom Emilio rightly called 'cancers', and it is progressing well. So that's why we will be keeping a lower media profile, to let the procedure take its course. We simply decided to do a few interviews, this one included, to highlight our problems, those of many African federations, and not be left ignored", says Iban Salvador.

"I am far from retirement"

Born in Spain, Iban Salvador gave up everything to represent Equatorial Guinea. He played in his first Africa Cup of Nations in 2015. That period also marked the end of a federation tradition of naturalising players from South America to wear the colours of Nzalang Nacional. Iban Salvador explains: "Before 2015 and the introduction of the reform requiring players to have Equatorial Guinean origins, the federation naturalised Brazilians, Colombians or Argentinians. Fortunately, a generation of players of Equatorial Guinean origin came through. When I met the federation's officials in Valencia, I even asked them to speed up the procedures, because I was impatient to join the team. To be able to say today that I have 9 years of international experience is exceptional."

Despite his suspension, Iban Salvador is not considering retiring from international football for a second. "I'm only 28, so I'm far from retirement. (Laughs.) I fully intend to come back to the national team even hungrier. Next March there is a series of friendlies, so, well, it's not a big deal if I'm not there. But in June, we resume 2026 World Cup qualifying with an already decisive clash against Tunisia, and I fully intend to be there. Hoping, of course, that by then the problems will be behind us."