Daily Trust Editorial of Monday October 28, 2024
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) on Saturday took steps to maintain sportsmanship and fair treatment in the conduct of African football when it awarded the Super Eagles of Nigeria three points and three goals in their abandoned Matchday 4, 2025 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier against Libya.
In the ruling announced by its Chairman, Ousmane Kane, the CAF’s Disciplinary Board determined that the “Libya Football Federation was found to have breached Article 31 of the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Regulations as well as Articles 82 and 151 of the CAF Disciplinary Code.
“The match No.87 Libya v. Nigeria of the TotalEnergies CAF African Cup of Nations Qualifiers 2025 (scheduled to be played on October 15, 2024 in Benghazi) is declared lost by forfeit by Libya (by a score of 3-0).
“The Libya Football Federation is ordered to pay a fine of USD 50,000. The fine is to be paid within 60 days of notification of the present decision”, it further said.
Libya’s ignoble dance started when its authorities diverted the Super Eagles’ chartered flight from Benghazi to Al Abraq Airport on Sunday, October 13, a distance of over 200 kilometres and three and a half hours drive away from the original destination. Then, at the airport, the team were held hostage, left stranded for over 20 hours without food or water and completely shut out of internet services.
There was no reception team or vehicles from the Libyan Football Federation. Adding a racist dimension, they offered to allow only the Tunisian pilot to go outside the airport to get hotel accommodation but refused same for Nigerian crew members and the Super Eagles team. The crew were forced to sleep on the aircraft while the team slept on the iron chairs at the terminal or in sitting postures. The Libyan authorities also refused ValueJet, the official carrier for the Super Eagles, to refuel at the airport.
Frustrated, the Super Eagles players decided not to proceed with the match, leading the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) to withdraw from the AFCON qualifier and organise the team’s return to Nigeria.
These elicited protests, outrage and widespread condemnation from Nigerians, footballers, international media, clubs, and human rights organisations, with Nigeria summoning the Libya’s Chargé d’affaires in Abuja. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the National Assembly demanded immediate sanctions from CAF.
Defending their disgraceful conduct, the Libyans denied any act of sabotage or foul play, but added: “It is important to highlight that just last week, our own national team faced significant challenges upon our arrival in Nigeria for the third match of the Africa Cup of Nations qualification.”
CAF then referred the incident to its Disciplinary Board for investigation, stating that “Appropriate action will be taken against those who violated the CAF Statutes and Regulations.”
We at Daily Trust welcome CAF’s verdict in punishing the Libyans’ total lack of the spirit of sportsmanship. We also commend CAF for publicly disclosing its decision promptly, avoiding delays, which could breed distrust.
We believe that the punitive sanctions will help safeguard the sanctity and wellbeing of the players and officials across the continent, and also send the right message that unfair and inhumane treatment will never be tolerated.
It is hoped that the Libyans would use this opportunity to learn how not to act in bad faith as they face the consequences of their bad behaviour. After all, this is not the first time the Libyans are bringing the ‘beautiful game’ into disrepute.
In 2021, the Libyan football authority switched off the light inside the stadium where the Nigerian team, Rivers United FC were training ahead of their match the next day.
Generally, Libyans lack a sense of responsibility and respect for generally accepted international norms of decency. Such manifestation of the ugly and negative side of football must never happen again. They gave a glimpse of it through their time-wasting tactics and exaggerated fouls during the first leg of the qualifiers in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State on October 11, in which they lost 0-1 to Nigeria.
It must be stated that what the Libyans did have no place in civilised environment where football is a unifying factor. They are not in tandem with sports’ best practices, which transcend barriers and enhance brotherhood.
African football cannot afford to allow such shameful episodes and CAF should continue to show that inhumane treatment and behaviours are intolerable in its efforts to entrench respect and trust as a way to solidify the long-term future of football in Africa.
No team or country should be allowed to foul up the goodwill and harmony within the African football community as sporting activities, especially football, have become platform for building bridges between nations.
