The Libyan Football Federation (LFF) has filed an appeal against the decision by the Confederation of African Football’s Disciplinary Board (CAF) to award the botched Group D AFCON 2025 second leg qualifier to Nigeria.
The LFF is also challenging the board’s decision to award three points and three goals to Nigeria’s Super Eagles.
According to Libyan media outlet alwasat.ly, the LFF has enlisted Tunisian lawyer Ali Abbas to defend its appeal, which challenges CAF’s decision as “unfair,”
On Saturday, October 26, 2024, the Disciplinary Board, in a notification letter to the LFF, awarded the botched Libya versus Super Eagles AFCON 2025 qualifier, billed for October 15, in Benghazi to the Super Eagles.
The board fined the LFF $50, 000 for breaching “the Article 31 of the African Cup of Nations Regulations, as well as Articles 82 and 151 of the CAF Disciplinary Code.”
In the notification letter dated October 26, 2024, tagged: “Notification of the terms of the Decision DC23175 – QAFCON – 23.10.2024 of the CAF Disciplinary Board,” the body said: “(1) The Libya Football Federation is found to have breached Article 31 of the African Cup of Nations Regulations, as well as Articles 82 and 151 of the CAF Disciplinary Code;(2)The match No.87 Libya v. Nigeria of the CAF African Cup of Nations Qualifiers 2025 (scheduled to be played on October 15, 2024 in Benghazi) is declared lost by forfeit by Libya (by a score of 3-0);(3) The Libya Football Federation is ordered to pay a fine of USD 50,000; (4) The fine is to be paid within 60 days of notification of the present decision: (5) All other and further motions or prayers for relief are dismissed.”
CAF said that that decision was reached by the disciplinary board in their meeting of October 23, 2024 in Cairo, Egypt.
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The Super Eagles players decided to boycott the fixture following maltreatment by the Libyan authorities, who detained the Nigerian delegation to the game for over 16 hours without food, water and access to communications.
The Libyans had earlier diverted the delegation’s flight from the earlier scheduled Benghazi to Al Abraq Airport, which, according to the Nigerian team’s Tunisian pilot, did not have the required navigation facilities for such flights.
Following the verdict by CAF, the Super Eagles are now on 10 points while Libya remain bottom on just one point after four games.
Meanwhile, the Eagles will take on Benin Republic and Rwanda on matchday 5 and 6 in November.
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COMMENTS
Waste of resources and distractions to themselves. Let us clap for NFF for doing something right for once.