On October 15, a problem arose in the Libya-Nigeria match, causing tension between the two countries. The Nigerian national team was redirected to a different airport and was stranded there for 14 hours.
Following this, Nigeria decided to boycott the match. Subsequently, the CAF disciplinary board assessed the situation and awarded Nigeria a 3-0 victory while imposing a $50,000 fine on the Libyan Football Federation.
This penalty left Libya on the brink of elimination from the group stage, making their advancement dependent on miracles.
However, the Libyan Football Federation was dissatisfied with the decision and announced that it would initiate legal proceedings at the highest levels to overturn it. The LFF will seek its rights at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) if necessary.
LFF acting president Abdunnaser Ahmed expressed his views on the matter in an interview with BBC Sports Africa:
“Match points cannot be awarded in this way. It is a precedent that African football has never witnessed before. Whoever refrains from playing before any match is cancelled should be considered a loser.”
Regarding the incident, he stated: “The plane’s course was changed for technical and logistical reasons related to air navigation.”
