Nigeria given 3-0 win over Libya after 'inhumane treatment'
October 26, 2024
Nigeria were awarded a 3-0 victory over Libya on Saturday after the team was left stranded in Libya for an Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifying match earlier this month.
The disciplinary committee of the Confederation of African Football said that Libya must forfeit the match 3-0 and pay a fine of $50,000 (€46,000).
Nigeria's Super Eagles complained their squad had suffered "inhumane treatment" after their charter flight arrived in Libya for the qualifying match.
The Nigerian team said it was left standard at an unstaffed airport for more than 20 hours without food or water. They returned home without playing the match in Benghazi — some 250 kilometers (155 miles) away from where they had landed.
Nigeria tops AFCON Group D
The decision on Saturday puts Nigeria, a three-time winner of the cup, at the top of Group D with 10 points in total.
Nigeria is now four points ahead of second-placed Benin and five points ahead of Rwanda.
Libya, at the bottom of Group D, has a single point.
There are two qualifying matches left to play. The top two teams in the group qualify for the 2025 finals in Morocco.
Poor treatment of visiting teams in their away matches is known as a tactic used in African football to give the hosts an advantage on the pitch. Common tricks include delaying the team as it goes through immigration on arrival, lengthy bus trips and poor training facilities.
zc/rmt (Reuters, AFP)