The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has sanctioned Libya and awarded Nigeria three points and three goals for the abandoned 2025 AFCON Qualifier match in Benghazi.
The decision was announced on Saturday by the Chairperson of the CAF Disciplinary Board, Ousmane Kanethe.
Nigeria had withdrawn from the match due to poor treatment, as Super Eagles players and staff were reportedly left stranded at an abandoned airport for almost a day.
In response, CAF penalized the Libya Football Federation (LFF) with a $50,000 fine, to be paid within 60 days.
CAF’s ruling stated that the LFF had breached Article 31 of the African Cup of Nations Regulations and Articles 82 and 151 of the CAF Disciplinary Code.
The disciplinary board emphasized the importance of fairness and accountability in the tournament.
The five-point decision in the statement reads:
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.
The match No.87 Libya v. Nigeria of the CAF African Cup of Nations Qualifiers 2025 (scheduled to be played on 15 October 2024 in Benghazi) is declared lost by forfeit by Libya (by a score of 3-0).
The Libya Football Federation is ordered to pay a fine of USD 50,000.
The fine is to be paid within 60 days of notification of the present decision.
All other and further motions or prayers for relief are dismissed.
The decision boosts Nigeria’s points tally to 10 from four games in the ongoing qualifiers, putting them in a stronger position to secure a spot in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.
