CAF awards Nigeria 3 points, fines Libya $50,000 after investigating travel issues

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) Disciplinary Board has issued its ruling regarding the Nigerian national team and the Libyan Football Federation in connection with travel issues.

In a statement released on October 26, 2024, the board found Libya guilty of breaching Article 31 of the CAF regulations and disciplinary code, resulting in a forfeiture of the match.

Consequently, Nigeria has been awarded three points and three goals, and the match will no longer be played.

In addition to the forfeiture, Libya has been fined $50,000, which must be paid within 60 days or face further sanctions.

“Libya Football Federation was found to have breached Article 31 of the Total Energies CAF Africa 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 TotalEnergies 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,” portions of the statement read.

Background:

The Super Eagles of Nigeria were stranded at Al-Abaq Airport ahead of their return match against Libya in the 2025 African Cup of Nations qualifiers.

Reports indicated that the team’s chartered flight, originally headed for Benghazi, was rerouted mid-air.

The Super Eagles departed for Libya in the early hours of Sunday, October 13.

Following the incident, the Nigerian Football Federation announced that the team would not honour the match.

The Libyan Football Federation, on the other hand, denied claims of maltreatment of the players, stating that the incident was due to security concerns.

Read the full statement below:

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