Former Stationery Stores and Green Eagles midfielder, Adebayo Gbadebo, has praised the Confederation of African Football’s (CAF) Disciplinary Board decision to award Nigeria three points and three goals for the aborted AFCON 2025 qualifying return leg match against Libya, labelling the ruling “highly expected” in light of the harsh treatment the Super Eagles and their delegation received from Libyan authorities, Completesports.com reports
CAF’s Disciplinary Chambers found Libya responsible for the incident, which prevented the scheduled 15 October 2024 match at Benghazi Stadium from going ahead.
Nigeria had won the first leg of the Group D clash 1-0 at Uyo’s Godswill Akpabio International Stadium Uyo on Friday, 11 October. With that victory, the Super Eagles needed another win to bolster their AFCON 2025 quest. Meanwhile, the Mediterranean Knights were desperate for three points to revive their qualification hopes after a poor start that led to coach Milutin Sredojević’s (Micho’s) dismissal.
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Upon arrival in Libya, the Nigerian team endured severe maltreatment as their aircraft was diverted to Al Abraq Airport, even though it was cleared to land at Benghazi Airport. The delegation was then left stranded for more 14 hours without food or communication—a situation the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) deemed a clear breach of CAF’s Code of Conduct. The NFF ultimately decided to recall the Super Eagles, declining to proceed with the match.
After investigating, CAF’s Disciplinary Committee awarded Nigeria the full points and three goals, recognising Libya’s culpability in the disrupted fixture. It also fined Libyan Football Federation $50,000.
Gbadebo, currently based in Thailand, told Completesports.com that the decision was “expected” and praised CAF’s handling of the incident.
“It’s something we all witnessed, and no one wants to see such things in African football, which should be about growth and showcasing talent,” he remarked.
“We need to make African football more attractive,” Gbadebo added, “and CAF has sent the right message to the world, showing that they take football and player welfare seriously.”
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CAF’s ruling means Nigeria has boosted her top spot in the AFCON 2025 qualifying Group D with 10 points from four games – four points ahead of second-placed Niger Republic and five points better than third-placed Rwanda. There are two rounds of games remaining in the qualifying series. The Super Eagles need to bag at least a draw from their away fixture against Niger Republic next month to book AFCON 2025 spot even with the last match versus Rwanda few days later to spare.
Gbadebo sees this as a “good sign,” affirming that dedication yields results. “We stood our ground, the team came together, and like I always say, we have players capable of qualifying for any major competition,” he said.
“This ruling will also motivate us as we prepare for World Cup qualifiers, which will be challenging. But it’s a boost to the team’s confidence, and we need to use this moment to further develop our squad.”
By Sab Osuji
