Nigeria awarded win, Libya fined over botched Afcon qualifier
Nigeria's William Troost-Ekong celebrates his goal during the 2024 Africa Cup of Nations semi final match against South Africa on February 7, 2024 at the Stade de la Paix in Bouake, Côte d'Ivoire.
What you need to know:
- Nigeria’s Super Eagles had defeated the Mediterranean Knights of Libya 1-0 in the first leg in Uyo, South South Nigeria.
- Controversy erupted when the Nigerian team’s flight, bound for Benghazi, was unexpectedly diverted to Al Abraq Airport.
The Confederation of African Football (Caf) has awarded Nigeria 3 points and a 3-0 win against Libya following the fiasco of a botched 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) qualifier. In its decision, Caf also fined Libya $50,000.
The return leg between the two nations failed to be played after Nigeria recalled its squad from Libya in protest.
Nigeria’s Super Eagles had defeated the Mediterranean Knights of Libya 1-0 in the first leg in Uyo, South South Nigeria.
In a statement released on Saturday, the Caf Disciplinary Board said Libya Football Federation (LFF) breached Article 31 of the Afcon regulations as well as Article 82 and 151 of the disciplinary code.
"The match number 87 Libya vs Nigeria to be played on 15 October 2024 in Benghazi is declared lost and forfeit by Libya by a score of 3-0. The LFF is ordered to pay a fine of $50,000 to be paid within 60 days of notification of the present decision. All other and further motions and prayers for relief are dismissed,’’ Caf said.
Nigeria and Libya had made their submissions to Caf on the matter and presented the necessary documents to support their claims concerning the incident.
Controversy erupted when the Nigerian team’s flight, bound for Benghazi, was unexpectedly diverted to Al Abraq Airport, whereas the match was slated for a venue near Benghazi.
The Libyan federation engaged legal representation, distancing itself from the incident with claims that the flight diversion was a decision made by Libyan authorities and not the football federation.
Nigeria, had before it officially pulled out its team, lodged a complaint with the Caf, accusing Libyan authorities of unacceptable treatment.
The Nigerian team was left stranded for 18 hours in an incident that Caf termed as “despicable.”
The situation got worse when the Libyan federation announced that the Nigerian government had apologised to Libya for the incident, but the government of Nigeria refuted the report.
Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Yusuf Tuggar, dismissed the reported apology which was published by the Libya Observer on October 15.
Mr Tuggar said the fake apology report deliberately aimed at gaining political leverage and causing disaffection among continental football administrators and fans.
The minister said the report was a blatant misinformation and misrepresentation of the telephone correspondence between him and the Foreign Minister of Libya’s Eastern Government.
“Nigeria remains unequivocal in expressing its displeasure and disappointment with how the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) officials were treated in Libya. It calls on the Confederation of African Football to urgently ensure that its Disciplinary Board investigates the matter and imposes appropriate sanctions based on its statutes,” Tuggar said in a statement.
Libya was supposed to host Nigeria in the qualifier in Benina near Benghazi but the match failed to be played after Nigeria boycotted.
The Nigerian contingent cited poor reception by the hosts as they spent almost 18 hours at Al Abaq Airport with nobody from the Libyan government or from the Libya Football Federation at hand to receive them.
The Nigerian delegation also alleged that they were denied entry into the country even after they elected to process the logistics on their own after waiting endlessly for the Libyans to do so.
