Nigeria/Libya: Libyan FA Punished for Hold-Up of Nigeria Squad Before Cup of Nations Qualifier

Nigeria will require a point from their last two matches next month to advance to the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations after continental football chiefs awarded them a 3-0 victory over Libya and fined the Libyan federation €46,000 for shambolic organisation in the prelude to a qualifier between the sides on 15 October.

The 2023 Cup of Nations runners-up were due to land at Benghazi airport for the Group D encounter in the city but the pilot of their aircraft was instead told to head for Al Abraq Airport in Bayda, some 200km to the east.

After landing, Nigerian players and members of their technical staff remained in the departures lounge for more than 16 hours before returning to Nigeria and boycotting the game.

Players posted videos on social media of the conditions in the lounge.

Regret

The Libyan Football Federation (LFF) said it regretted the flight diversion. “It is essential to note that such incidents can occur due to routine air traffic control protocols, security checks or logistical challenges that affect international air travel,” a spokesperson added.

But the Nigerian federation lodged a complaint for what it called inhumane treatment with the Confederation of African Football, (Caf) which organises the biennial Cup of Nations.

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Its disciplinary committee ruled that Libya had breached several articles of the Caf code.

“The Libya-Nigeria match is declared lost by forfeit by Libya (with a score of 3-0),” Caf added.

The decision to award the game to Nigeria extinguishes Libya’s slim hopes of reaching the continent’s most prestigious national team tournament.

Libya have not taken part in the finals since the 2012 competition in Equatorial Guinea and Gabon.