The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has awarded Nigeria three points and three goals following the forfeiture of their match against Libya, which was missed due to the latter’s poor treatment of the Nigerian team.
CAF President Patrice Motsepe previously announced an investigation into the controversy surrounding Nigeria’s Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Libya, emphasizing the organization’s commitment to fair play and sportsmanship in African football.
On Saturday, a statement from Ousmane Kane, Chairperson of the CAF Disciplinary Board, revealed that the decision to grant Nigeria the points came after a disciplinary committee found Libya guilty of mistreating the Super Eagles.
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The committee also imposed a fine on the Libyan Football Federation for their actions.
The five-member committee included Chairperson Ousmane Kane (Senegal), Vice-Chairperson Njeri Onyango (Kenya), and members Felix Golbassia (Tchad), Patrick Shale (Lesotho), and Norman Arendse (South Africa).
CAF determined that the Libyan Football Federation violated Article 31 of the Africa Cup of Nations Regulations, as well as Articles 82 and 151 of the CAF Disciplinary Code. Consequently, the match scheduled for October 15, 2024, in Benghazi has been declared a 3-0 forfeit in favor of Nigeria.
Additionally, the Libya Football Federation has been ordered to pay a fine of $50,000 within 60 days of receiving notification of this decision.
The Nigerian players and officials had faced significant difficulties, being stranded at a Libyan airport for hours without access to food or internet as they attempted to fulfill their AFCON qualifier obligations.
It required diplomatic intervention and social media advocacy for the team to finally be allowed to leave Libya.
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