AFCON Qualifiers: CAF awards Super Eagles 3 points, fines Libya $50,000

The Disciplinary Committee of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) has awarded Nigeria’s Super Eagles three points and three goals from their abandoned match against Libya, which was set for October 15 in Benina as part of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.

In a ruling released on Saturday and signed by chairman Ousmane Kane, the committee found that the Libyan Football Federation violated Article 31 of the Africa Cup of Nations Regulations and Articles 82 and 151 of the CAF Disciplinary Code.

“The Libyan Football Federation has been found in breach of Article 31 of the Africa Cup of Nations Regulations, as well as Articles 82 and 151 of the CAF Disciplinary Code. The match No. 87, Libya vs. Nigeria, scheduled for October 15, 2024, in Benghazi, is declared lost by forfeit by Libya, with a final score of 3-0,” the ruling stated. Additionally, the Libyan Federation must pay a fine of $50,000, due within 60 days of receiving this decision.

This ruling puts Nigeria in a strong position for qualification for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, now sitting on 10 points from four matches, four points ahead of second-placed Benin Republic, while Rwanda has five points. Libya, at the bottom of the group, has only one point and is out of contention. A win or draw against Benin Republic in Abidjan on Thursday, November 14, will secure the Super Eagles’ place in the finals set for December 2025/January 2026 in Morocco.

The Nigerian team had boycotted the match due to safety concerns after being stranded at Al-Abraq airport on the outskirts of Benghazi for over 22 hours. In response, the Libyan Football Federation accused the Nigeria Football Federation of failing to cooperate regarding travel arrangements, claiming that the Libyan national team experienced similar issues in Nigeria during the reverse fixture the previous week.