The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has appointed a disciplinary board to investigate the controversial cancellation of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier between Libya and Nigeria.
The board is tasked with taking decisions that get to their arbitration, and they will be the ones to sit on the case between Libya and Nigeria as regards the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier scheduled for last Tuesday but had to be postponed.
CAF Disciplinary Board members to sit on Libya vs Nigeria case
The board will be led by Senegal’s Ousmane Kane and includes key members such as Jane Njeri Onyango of Kenya (Vice-President), South Africa’s Norman Arendse, Mohamed Mostafa El-Mashta of Egypt, alongside representatives from Chad, Lesotho, Niger, Uganda, and Sierra Leone.
This board is tasked with reviewing the circumstances surrounding the abandoned fixture, which was scheduled to take place last Tuesday in Benina, near Benghazi.
The match was called off after Nigeria withdrew, citing logistical chaos and security concerns.
According to the Nigerian delegation, they were stranded at Al Abraq Airport for over 15 hours without any assistance from Libyan officials or the Libyan Football Federation.
The Super Eagles had initially planned to fly directly to Benghazi on Sunday but were diverted to Al Abraq, a few hours away from their intended destination.
Nigerian officials claim that no representatives were present to welcome the team, and their efforts to organise their own transport were blocked.
Left without a clear explanation and growing concerns over safety, Nigeria decided to return home, a decision sanctioned by the country’s Minister of Sports Development, John Enoh.
Adding to the controversy, both Ghana and Sudan, who were also set to play their AFCON qualifiers in Benghazi, encountered no such issues, prompting suspicions of possible misconduct by the Libyan authorities.
In response, CAF released a statement condemning the situation, calling it “disturbing and unacceptable.” The disciplinary board will now determine the next course of action, with scheduling concerns looming, as the international window is quickly narrowing.
The decision from CAF could have significant implications for the road to AFCON 2025.