CAF Awards Nigeria 3-0 Victory in Botched Qualifier, Fines Libya $50,000
The Disciplinary Board of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) has awarded Nigeria three points and three goals from the recent AFCON 2025 qualifier against Libya, originally scheduled for 15 October 2024 in Benghazi.
The decision, which was announced in a statement by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), was resched after Libya was found to have breached multiple CAF regulations, resulting in forfeiture of match to Nigeria with a 3-0 scoreline.
In its Saturday ruling, signed by Disciplinary Board Chairman Ousmane Kane, CAF cited violations of Article 31 of the Africa Cup of Nations Regulations, along with Articles 82 and 151 of the CAF Disciplinary Code.
The Libya Football Federation has also been fined $50,000, payable within 60 days, with all other appeals dismissed.
Part of the statement reads: “The implication is that Nigeria is now poised to qualify for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, with two matches to spare. With the decision, the Eagles are now on 10 points from four matches, four points better than second-placed Benin Republic, while Rwanda have five points. Bottom-placed Libya have only one point and are out of the running for qualification.
“Victory or draw against the Cheetahs of Benin Republic in Abidjan on Thursday, 14th November (a Matchday 5 encounter) will land the Super Eagles a ticket to the finals in Morocco, December2025/January 2026.”
