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Claim: A Facebook post by Goal Africa suggested that the Confederation of African Football (CAF) awarded three points to Libya after the Super Eagles of Nigeria boycotted the second leg of their match against the North African side for alleged maltreatment.
Verdict: Misleading! Contrary to the claim, CAF has yet to announce its verdict.
Full Text
On Tuesday, Goal Africa, a sports-focused platform with 3.7 million followers on Facebook, posted that CAF had awarded three points to Libya’s football team after the Super Eagles of Nigeria withdrew from an Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) game against them.
The post came amid the face-off between Nigeria and Libya, which are both jostling for a spot at the 2025 AFCON, which is scheduled to be held in Morocco.
On October 11, Libya’s football team, known as the Mediterranean Knights, played against the Super Eagles of Nigeria at Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.
Nigeria won the encounter 1-0, courtesy of a late goal by Fisayo Dele-Bashiru. The return leg of the encounter was originally billed to be held on October 15 at the Martyrs Stadium in Benina, Benghazi, Libya.
On October 13, the Nigerian team departed the Aminu Kano International Airport for Benghazi. Trouble, however, started when the flight was diverted to Al-Abraq International Airport. At Al-Abraq International Airport, the Nigerian team and other accompanying officials were allegedly held for hours without being attended to.
Rankled by the development, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) announced that the Nigerian team would boycott the game. The Super Eagles eventually returned to Nigeria on Monday, October 15, amid the outrage trailing the development. The NFF later detailed the team’s “ordeal” in a lengthy article published via its website.
There were unsubstantiated claims that Libya’s treatment of the Super Eagles was in retaliation for a similar experience they allegedly faced during their visit to Nigeria.
But reacting, the Libyan Football Federation (LFF) denied the sabotage allegation. The LFF said the diversion of the Nigerian delegation’s chartered ValueJet aircraft to Al Abraq International Airport instead of Benghazi as planned was due to air traffic control protocols and security checks that are standard in international travel. It further attributed the Super Eagles’ hours-long delay at the airport to “logistical challenges”.
Amid this development, Goal Africa posted a message suggesting that CAF had automatically awarded three points to the Libyan national team.
“The Super Eagles are back in Nigeria! Libyans are happy – 3 points secured. Awaiting the final verdict from CAF,” the post reads.
As of the time of filing this report, the post had garnered 8,900 likes, 1,200 comments and 41 shares. Although the post included “awaiting the final verdict from CAF,” many ran with the “3 points secured” part, which actually suggested it had already been confirmed.
Checks in the comment section of the post showed many users believed it to be true. A user, George Marciano, commented: “It serves them (Nigeria) right. Nigeria needs to learn the hard way. You cannot mistreat your visitors knowing that you’re going to visit them in the next few days. Libya is the great country that fears no other country (sic). You cannot serve em shit expect to be served a pizza when it’s your turn (sic).”
Another user, Hargreaves Arafat Okumu, wrote: “That’s a good news, Nigerians won’t treat any national or foreign club team badly again (sic).” In the same vein, Shariffkey Sharifkey wrote: “Congratulations Libya.”
Further checks, however, showed a few other users doubted the post. For instance, a user, Bobbie Oladele Switness queried: “GOAL Africa, are you now the person assigning points to countries?” Another user, Prince Orebote Oyebanji Emmanuel, wrote in Pidgin English: “Na you dash them 3 points?”
Considering the sensitivity of the issue, DUBAWA decided to fact-check the claim.
Verification
Using keywords on Google search, DUBAWA found no report that CAF awarded three points to Libya, as suggested by the post.
Further findings showed CAF released a statement on the issue on Monday, promising to probe it through its disciplinary board.
The statement reads: “The Confederation Africaine de Football (CAF) has been in contact with the Libyan and Nigerian authorities after it had been informed that the Nigerian National Football Team (‘’Super Eagles’’) and their technical team were stranded in disturbing conditions for several hours at an airport that they were allegedly instructed to land by the Libyan authorities.
“The matter has been referred to the CAF Disciplinary Board for investigation, and appropriate action will be taken against those who violated the CAF Statutes and Regulations.”
In a follow-up statement on Tuesday, the African football governing body announced that the match between the two countries would not take place as scheduled.
“The TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025 Qualifier fixture between Libya and Nigeria will not take place as scheduled tonight. The matter will be referred to the competent CAF bodies,” CAF declared.
The above indicates that the matter is still ongoing, and no decision has been reached yet.
Conclusion
The claim that Libya has “secured three points” after the Super Eagles of Nigeria boycotted the CAF African Nations Cup Qualifiers against the country is misleading. The African football governing body is still investigating the matter.
