The Confederation of African Football Disciplinary Committee has officially granted Nigeria’s Super Eagles the victory in the cancelled Africa Cup of Nations 2025 qualifier match against Libya.
This Group D fixture was scheduled for October 15, 2024, in Benghazi but was called off after Nigerian players and officials experienced what they described as severe mistreatment by Libyan authorities, including a prolonged 16-hour detention without food, water, or communication access.
During its October 23 meeting in Cairo, Egypt, the CAF Disciplinary Board reviewed the incident and concluded that the Libyan Football Federation had violated “Article 31 of the African Cup of Nations Regulations, as well as Articles 82 and 151 of the CAF Disciplinary Code.” Consequently, the board, led by Chairman Ousmane Kane from Senegal, fined Libya $50,000 and awarded a 3-0 forfeit win to Nigeria.
The Libyan team further compounded issues by diverting the Nigerian team’s flight to Al Abraq Airport instead of the pre-arranged Benghazi airport.
The Nigerian squad’s Tunisian pilot raised concerns, noting that Al Abraq lacked essential navigation systems required for international flights, a violation of travel norms for visiting teams.
In its official ruling, CAF sent a letter dated October 26, 2024, titled “Notification of the terms of the Decision DC23175 – QAFCON – 23.10.2024 of the CAF Disciplinary Board” to the LFF. The letter included the following points: “(1) The Libya Football Federation is found to have breached Article 31 of the African Cup of Nations Regulations, as well as Articles 82 and 151 of the CAF Disciplinary Code; (2) The match No.87 Libya v. Nigeria of the CAF African Cup of Nations Qualifiers 2025 (scheduled to be played on October 15, 2024 in Benghazi) is declared lost by forfeit by Libya (by a score of 3-0); (3) The Libya Football Federation is ordered to pay a fine of USD 50,000; (4) The fine is to be paid within 60 days of notification of the present decision: (5) All other and further motions or prayers for relief are dismissed.”
With this ruling, Nigeria now leads Group D with 10 points, moving one step closer to securing a spot in the 2025 AFCON.
Libya, on the other hand, remains at the bottom with just one point, following the decision by CAF’s disciplinary committee, which includes vice-chairperson Njeri Onyango (Kenya), and board members Felix Golbassia (Chad), Patrick Shale (Lesotho), and Norman Arendse (South Africa).
