1. Overview
Ana Cristina da Silva, commonly known as Cris, is a Brazilian footballer who plays as a midfielder for Campeonato Piauiense Feminino club Atlético Piauiense. Her career has been marked by significant controversy surrounding her eligibility to represent the Equatorial Guinea women's national football team, highlighting broader issues of fairness and integrity in international sports, particularly concerning nationality and player qualification. She was part of the Equatorial Guinea squad at the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup, but was later declared ineligible by FIFA along with other Brazilian players due to irregularities in their naturalization process.
2. Early life
Ana Cristina da Silva was born on December 12, 1985, in Três Rios, a municipality located in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
3. Club career
Cris has played for several clubs throughout her professional career. While representing Associação Ferroviária de Esportes, also known as Ferroviária, in Brazil, she was a key member of the team that achieved a notable double in 2014, winning both the Campeonato Brasileiro de Futebol Feminino league title and the Copa do Brasil de Futebol Feminino cup. Currently, she plays for Atlético Piauiense. In 2016, she also played for Iranduba. At one point, when she was named to the Equatorial Guinea national team squad for the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup, she was reportedly unattached at the club level.
4. International career
Ana Cristina da Silva's international career with the Equatorial Guinea national team was notable for both her participation in major tournaments and the significant controversies that arose concerning her eligibility.
4.1. Debut and Major Tournaments
After undergoing a process of naturalization to become an Equatoguinean citizen, Cris was selected to be a part of the Equatorial Guinea women's national football team. She made her debut in a friendly match against Luxembourg on June 17, 2011, where she scored her first international goal in an 8-0 victory. This debut preceded her participation in the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup held in Germany. She was also a member of the Equatorial Guinea team that secured victory in the 2012 African Women's Championship. This success was, however, overshadowed by the fact that 11 out of the 21 players in the 2012 championship squad were naturalized Brazilians, raising questions about the fairness of their roster composition.
4.2. FIFA Ineligibility and Related Controversies
The issue of player eligibility deeply affected Equatorial Guinea's international standing. Cris continued to play for the Equatoguinean women's team, participating in the qualifying matches for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. However, the team faced severe repercussions when they were expelled from the Olympic tournament after it was discovered they had fielded a player with fraudulent documentation. The problems escalated further when, on October 5, 2017, FIFA officially declared Cris and nine other Brazilian footballers ineligible to play for Equatorial Guinea. This ruling was a direct result of investigations into irregularities and fraudulent documentation related to their naturalization processes. Consequently, Equatorial Guinea was expelled from the qualification process for the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup in France and was also banned from the 2020 Women's Olympic Football Tournament, reinforcing the importance of adhering to strict eligibility rules and fair play in international competitions.
4.3. International goals
Scores and results list Equatorial Guinea's goal tally first
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | June 17, 2011 | Stade Jos Becker, Niederanven, Luxembourg | Luxembourg | 5-0 | 8-0 | Friendly |