The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has penalized Libya with a $50,000 fine and ordered them to play their next two official matches behind closed doors following multiple misconduct incidents during their 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier against Benin on November 18, 2024.
This latest sanction adds to Libya’s recent disciplinary troubles, coming weeks after they faced backlash over their treatment of Nigeria’s Super Eagles in October.
Benin lodged a formal complaint after their players and staff were reportedly attacked and beaten by Libyan coaches and police officers following a goalless draw in Tripoli. The result secured Benin’s qualification for AFCON 2025, leaving Libya out of the tournament.
CAF’s disciplinary board issued a statement confirming the punishment:
“The CAF Disciplinary Board charged the Libyan Football Federation with misconduct following incidents during the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025 Qualifiers fixture against Benin in Benghazi on 18 November 2024. The CAF Disciplinary Board found the Libyan Football Federation guilty of violating articles 82 and 151 of the CAF Disciplinary Code for the behaviour of its supporters and officials during and after the match.
“The Libyan Football Federation was ordered to play its next two (2) official national team matches behind closed doors, and the CAF Disciplinary Board imposed a fine of USD 50,000 on the Libyan Football Federation.”
Despite being victims in Libya, Benin were fined $55,000 for unrelated issues during their qualifier against Rwanda. This includes $5,000 for failing to cooperate with CAF’s disciplinary body and $50,000—$25,000 of which is suspended—for misconduct by their officials.
This is not Libya’s first run-in with CAF. In October, the Super Eagles’ flight to Libya for a qualifier was controversially diverted to Al-Abraq Airport, sparking outrage. CAF criticized Libya’s actions as “inhumane treatment,” though Libyan officials accused Nigeria of providing poor hospitality in return.
In a separate ruling, CAF dismissed Guinea’s appeal to disqualify Tanzania from AFCON 2024. Guinea had claimed that Tanzanian substitute Ibrahim Ame wore an unregistered shirt number (26) during a qualifier, but CAF found insufficient evidence to uphold the appeal.
These rulings underline CAF’s commitment to cracking down on misconduct as the continent prepares for the 2025 AFCON in Morocco. Both Libya and Benin’s penalties reflect the governing body’s determination to enforce discipline and uphold the integrity of African football.
