FIFA rules Matip eligible for Liverpool return

After weeks of uncertainty, Liverpool centre-back Joel Matip has been ruled eligible by FIFA for the club's visit Saturday from Swansea City.

FIFA's ruling was confirmed by the Merseysiders Friday, with the Reds adding that all charges by the Cameroon Football Association against the player and club have been dismissed.

Matip, who maintains that he retired from international football and hasn't played for Cameroon since 2015, was one of several players called up to the national team for the Africa Cup of Nations in Gabon only to not arrive on the continent.

That decision put his Liverpool standing in flux, with the Cameroonian football association charging both the player and club for his refusal to play, forcing Reds boss Jurgen Klopp to take the high road and keep the 25-year-old off the team sheet.

Matip was initially adjudged to have breached the African nation's governing body's regulations in apparently refusing to join his countrymen in Gabon, meaning the defender could have been ineligible to play, potentially risking a point deduction for title chaser Liverpool.

The confirmation from FIFA will boost Liverpool's title hopes after the summer signing from Schalke missed out on the club's last two matches against Manchester United and Plymouth Argyle.

Despite being deemed eligible, because of the timing, it's uncertain if Klopp will include the rangy centre-half in the squad for the visit from Paul Clement's struggling south Wales side.