The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has announced fresh sanctions against the Libya Football Federation (LFF), including a $20,000 fine and a mandate for two upcoming matches to be played behind closed doors.
These latest penalties follow Libya’s appeal against an earlier decision by CAF, which awarded Nigeria three points and three goals due to an incident involving the Nigerian team during their travel to Libya.
Initially, the Super Eagles were set to face Libya at the Martyrs of February Stadium in Benghazi on October 15. However, upon landing at Al Abaq airport, the Nigerian team was reportedly held for over 20 hours without food or drinks.
As a result, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) announced the Super Eagles’ withdrawal from the qualifying match and their return home. CAF ruled that Libya had violated multiple regulations regarding the handling of the Nigerian team’s arrival, leading to the forfeiture of the match and a $50,000 fine.
Despite appealing CAF’s ruling in favor of Nigeria, the Libya Football Federation has now been hit with additional penalties. This includes a separate $20,000 fine and a requirement for a Libyan team to play their next two matches behind closed doors due to violent incidents in a recent game.
