CAF Awards Nigeria 3 Points, Fines Libya $50,000 Over Disrupted AFCON Qualifier
By Okafor Joseph Afam
October 26, 2024
In a groundbreaking decision, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) has awarded Nigeria three points and three goals by forfeit for their scheduled AFCON 2025 qualifier against Libya. The game, initially planned for October 15, 2024, in Benghazi, did not take place due to alleged obstruction by Libyan authorities, which left Nigeria’s national team, the Super Eagles, unable to participate.
This decision was formally announced in a statement on Saturday by CAF’s Chairperson of the Disciplinary Board, Ousmane Kane. The disciplinary committee’s findings found Libya in violation of Article 31 of the African Cup of Nations Regulations, alongside Articles 82 and 151 of the CAF Disciplinary Code. Libya was subsequently penalized with a 3-0 forfeiture score in favor of Nigeria.
CAF’s ruling stated, “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, and that 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).”
In addition, the Libya Football Federation has been fined $50,000, payable within 60 days, as further disciplinary action. This ruling comes amid mounting tensions after the Super Eagles’ flight was diverted unexpectedly, stranding team members and officials and leading to their withdrawal from the match.
CAF President Patrice Motsepe had earlier condemned the incident during an ongoing CAF General Assembly, pledging that CAF would investigate and act decisively. “When there was this problem of the Nigerian national team in Libya… I want to emphasise the principle we will not tolerate. Because this is something that has been going on for quite some time,” he stated, addressing wider concerns over unsporting behaviors faced by teams traveling within the continent.
Motsepe highlighted CAF’s commitment to fair treatment and a level playing field for all teams, vowing that CAF would actively address such incidents to prevent recurrence in the future.
