The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has imposed severe sanctions on the Libyan Football Federation (LFF) following disturbances during the AFCON 2025 qualifier against Benin in Benghazi on November 18, 2024.
In an official statement released on its website, CAF confirmed that the decision was made after its Disciplinary Council convened to review multiple cases from interclub competitions and qualifiers for the 2025 tournament.
The LFF was found in breach of Articles 82 and 151 of the CAF Disciplinary Code due to misconduct by both fans and officials during and after the match.
Consequently, Libya has been ordered to play its next two official home games behind closed doors and pay a $50,000 fine.
This isn’t the first time Libya has faced disciplinary action during the 2025 AFCON qualifiers.
In October, CAF sanctioned the country following an incident during the fourth round of qualifiers, which led to the suspension of a match against Nigeria.
The Nigerian team refused to play after being stranded for over 12 hours at a Libyan airport without access to food or water.
After investigating the matter, CAF awarded three points and three goals to Nigeria while upholding an additional $50,000 fine against Libya.
Despite these controversies, Nigeria and Benin ultimately secured qualification for the 2025 tournament in Morocco.
Meanwhile, Libya and Rwanda failed to advance to the competition.
CAF’s strict measures underline its commitment to ensuring discipline and maintaining order during its tournaments.
For Libya, the sanctions serve as a stern reminder of the consequences of failing to adhere to professional standards in international football.
