Nigeria has been granted a 3-0 win and three crucial points in their Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Libya, a game they opted not to play due to being stranded at a remote Libyan airport for nearly half a day.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) disciplinary committee, in a decision announced on Saturday, awarded Nigeria the victory, positioning them on the verge of qualification for next year’s finals as they now lead Group D.
With 10 points and two games remaining, Nigeria holds a four-point lead over second-placed Benin and a five-point lead over Rwanda, while Libya remains at the bottom of the group with just one point from four matches.
Group D’s top two teams will secure a spot in the 2024 tournament in Morocco. Nigeria had initially refused to compete in the scheduled October 15 match in Benghazi, citing poor treatment upon arrival in Libya 48 hours prior to kickoff. Nigerian players and staff were detained at an airport roughly 250 kilometers from their destination in Benghazi after their chartered flight was redirected to Bayda. They were held without food, water, or communication from Libyan officials for over 16 hours, ultimately deciding to return to Nigeria without playing the match.
The Libya Football Federation claimed the incident was unintentional, mentioning that Libyan players also encountered travel issues when they visited Nigeria for their October 11 match in Uyo, where Nigeria claimed a 1-0 victory.
However, CAF ruled that Libya violated competition regulations requiring the host nation to facilitate proper arrival arrangements for visiting teams, including assisting with entry procedures and providing transport. CAF awarded the match to Nigeria with a 3-0 score and imposed a $50,000 fine on Libya for the breach.
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