Committee of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) has granted the Super Eagles of Nigeria three points and three goals following the abandonment of their match against Libya on 15 October during the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
This decision, announced on Saturday and signed by chairman Ousmane Kane, concluded 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.
In the ruling, it was stated, “The Libyan Football Federation is found to have breached Article 31 of the Africa Cup of Nations Regulations, along with Articles 82 and 151 of the CAF Disciplinary Code. Therefore, match No. 87, Libya versus Nigeria, scheduled for 15 October 2024 in Benghazi, is officially declared a forfeit in favor of Nigeria with a scoreline of 3-0.”
Additionally, the Libyan Football Federation has been fined USD 50,000, which must be paid within 60 days from the notification of this decision. This ruling significantly boosts Nigeria’s chances of qualifying for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, with only two matches remaining in the qualifiers.
Following this decision, Nigeria now stands with 10 points from four matches, placing them four points ahead of second-placed Benin Republic, while Rwanda holds five points. Libya, sitting at the bottom of the group, has only one point and is effectively out of contention for qualification.
A win or draw against the Benin Republic in their upcoming match in Abidjan on Thursday, 14 November, will secure the Super Eagles a spot in the finals set for Morocco in December 2025/January 2026. The Nigerian team had previously refused to play the match, citing safety concerns after being stranded at Al-Abraq airport near Benghazi for over 22 hours.
In retaliation, the Libyan Football Federation accused the Nigeria Football Federation of failing to cooperate regarding travel arrangements and claimed that their national team had experienced similar difficulties in Nigeria during the previous fixture, asserting that they were left stranded at Port Harcourt Airport by Nigerian authorities.
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