Nigeria awarded qualifier win after airport chaos

Nigeria awarded qualifier win after airport chaos

Nigeria have been awarded a 3-0 victory over Libya, and three vital points, from their scheduled Africa Cup of Nations qualifier earlier this month which they refused to play after being stuck in a remote Libyan airport for half a day before the match.

The disciplinary committee of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) on Saturday awarded the match to Nigeria 3-0, putting them on the brink of qualifying for next year’s finals as they are top of Group D.

The three points took Nigeria to 10 with two matches left to play, four ahead of second-placed Benin and five ahead of Rwanda. Libya have a single point from four games and are in last place.

The top two teams in the group qualify for the 2025 finals in Morocco.

Nigeria had refused to play the match in Benghazi on Oct. 15, citing mistreatment on arrival in the country some 48 hours before the scheduled kick-off.

The team’s players and staff were stranded for more than 16 hours at an airport 250 km (155 miles) away from their intended destination.