The Confederation of African Football, CAF, has awarded the three points to Nigeria for the botched Nigeria vs Libya 15 October 2024 African Cup of Nations qualifier match.
CAF, in a letter to the Libya Football Federation, dated Saturday, 26 October, found Libya guilty of unsportsmanly conduct, and also imposed a $50,000 fine on the Libyan Football Federation.”
The AFCON qualifier was aborted after Libyan authorities diverted the Value Jet plane carrying the Nigerian contingents from its destined Benghazi to a remote and abandoned Al-Alqba, some 300km from the match venue.
Beyond that, the Nigerian team were left at the airport without food or water for nearly 24 hours, causing a security scare for players and officials, before they were finally released and allowed to fly back to Nigeria.
The grim pictures of the football stars sprawled on benches and iron chairs circulated quickly around the world causing outspread rage and condemnation.
The five-member committee comprises the chairperson, Ousmane Kane (Senegal); Ms Njeri Onyango (Kenya), Vice Chairperson, and three others Felix Golbassia, Patrick Shale and Norman Arendse from Tchad, Lesotho and South Africa respectively, have now hammered LFF for the ordeal.
Deciding on the Nigeria Football Federation protest, the Chairperson of the CAF Disciplinary Board, Ousmane Kane, said, “The LFF is found to have breached Article 31 of the AFCON Regulation 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 Qualifier 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 within 60 days of notification of the present decision.
“All other and further motions or prayers for relief are dismissed,” the letter stated.
Meanwhile, the LFF has the option of appealing the judgment before the CAF Appeal Board, but it must make its intention known to the CAF within three (3) days of receipt of the board’s decision.
Reliable football sources told Naija Daily News that the federation can only seek relief relating to the $50,000 fine imposed by the organisation.
CAF LETTER
