The Confederation of African Football (CAF) is set to announce its decision on Wednesday regarding the controversial AFCON qualifying match in Group D between Libya and Nigeria, which was scheduled to take place at Benina Martyrs Stadium on October 15.
As reported by Libya Al-Ahrar Channel, CAF will deliver its final ruling on the players’ experiences during the first leg in Nigeria last October, which concluded with a 1-0 victory for the Super Eagles, as well as the reverse fixture that was supposed to be held at Libya’s first all-seater stadium, with a capacity of 10,550.
The report also indicated that the Libyan Football Federation has submitted all relevant documents, backed by a specialized lawyer tasked with overseeing the Libyan case with CAF.
Following the disruption of the match, CAF removed the fixture from its schedule the day after the incident, canceling it just hours before kick-off and referring the case to the Disciplinary Committee for review. In a statement issued on Monday, the Libyan Football Federation condemned the actions of the Nigerian side regarding their refusal to play against Libya. The Federation asserted its intention to pursue all legal avenues to protect the interests of the national football team.
Nigeria arrived for the match on Sunday, October 14, but their flight was redirected to Al Abraq International Airport, located about three hours by road from Benghazi, the match venue. The Libyan authorities held the Nigerian team for approximately 17 hours, resulting in trauma before they were able to return home.
In response, Nigeria filed a complaint with CAF, expressing concern over their experience, while the Libyan Federation claimed that Nigeria did not cooperate during either leg of the matches, suggesting that their own experience in Nigeria for the first leg was far worse. CAF described the situation faced by the Nigerian team in Libya as “extremely dangerous,” noting that they had contacted both Libyan and Nigerian authorities after reports emerged about the troubling conditions the Nigerians endured at the airport. The case has been forwarded to its disciplinary committee for investigation and appropriate action against those who breached regulations.
