CAF To Review Rules Following Nigeria/Libya Incident

By: Gyang Dakwo

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) is reviewing rules on the treatment of away teams following the suspension of the Africa Cup of Nations qualifier between Nigeria and Libya.

Earlier this month, the plane carrying the Super Eagles was diverted at the very last minute ahead of their qualifier in Libya, leading to the match being postponed. CAF opened an investigation into the incident, with CAF president Patrice Motsepe emphasising that rules are under review to avoid similar scenarios in the future.

On the sidelines of the CAF general assembly, Motsepe did not want to be drawn into specific comments but remarked that CAF will not tolerate gamesmanship in the future.

“This has been going on for quite a while. I have heard too many stories of a football club or a national team going to a country – you spend hours at an airport and you are asked about documents that don’t exist. During Covid-19 apparently, they’d look at who the best players of your national team were and those ten players, they have got Covid. You reply: ‘We have just been tested.’ ‘No,no, they have got Covid’.

“There is this lack of sportsmanship. We haven’t taken effective action. We are reviewing those laws and we want to emphasize sportsmanship.”

In the end, Nigeria refused to play the match and Motsepe repeated that “appropriate actions will be taken” following the postponement of the match.

Meanwhile a FIFA council member and former Nigeria Football Federation president, Amaju Pinnick, has disclosed that the Confederation of African Football is set to release its verdict on the controversy surrounding Nigeria’s Super Eagles’ treatment in Libya.