BY KUNLE SOLAJA

The Libyan national football team still received a reprieve when CAF announced its decision to cancel the Libya versus Nigeria Africa Cup of Nations qualifying duel that was to have been held on 15 October.

According to a Libyan outlet, Libya Akhba, the CAF Disciplinary Board recommended banning Libya from hosting three of their next home matches.

But CAF decided to cancel that penalty. Had the penalty not been cancelled, Libya would have to play their next three home matches on neutral ground.

The matches to be affected would have been their last 2025 Africa Cup qualifiers against Benin Republic on 18 November and their Group D match days 5 and 8 World Cup qualifiers against Angola on 17 March 2025 and Eswatini on 7 September 2025 respectively.

According to Libyan News Agency, WAL, the decision not to impose the three-match ban at home came after the intervention of Libya’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation in the Libyan government, Abdel Hadi Al-Huwaij.

BY KUNLE SOLAJA.

Senegalese referee Issa Sy has been handed the task of officiating next month’s Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match between Group D table toppers and second-placed Benin Republic at the  Stade Félix Houphouët-Boigny in Abidjan.

It is the second time that the 40-year-old will handle an African Cup qualifier that pitched the two countries.

He had earlier handled Nigeria’s 2-1 win over Benin in a 2021 AFCON qualifying game decided at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium, Uyo in November 2019.

Last February he also handled Nigeria’s defeat of Angola at the semi-finals of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations played at the Stade Félix Houphouët-Boigny in Abidjan.

Incidentally, Sy will be returning with the same set of on-field officials of that AFCON duel. He is being supported by compatriots Djibril Camara and Nouha Bangoura as assistant referee 1 and assistant referee 2 respectively.

The fourth referee for the 14 November match is El Hadji Amadou Sy.

Rene Williams Sere of Cote d’Ivoire will be the match commissioner while Inacio Manuel Candido of Angola will be the referee assessor.

Expectedly, the Libya Football Federation is considering appealing the ruling by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to award the match Day 4 duel of the controversy engulfed match between Libya and Nigeria to the latter.

There is anger in the Libyan Federation as Secretary General Nasser Al-Suwaie who doubles as the acting head has threatened to appeal the CAF decisions.

Nasser Al-Suwaie oversees the Libyan Federation as the president, Abdelhakim Al-Shalmani, has resigned. The Federation is looking towards taking the case directly to the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS).

The procedure should have been to take the appeal to the Appeal Board of CAF. If that procedure is followed, Justice Roli Daibo Harriman, the head of the board will have to step down in the hearing of the appeal as she is a Nigerian and conflict of interests will have to be avoided.

Appeal Board

• Justice Roli Daibo Harriman, Nigeria
• Faustino Varela Monteiro, Cape Verde
• Moez Ben Tahar Nasri, Tunisia
• Moses Ikanqa, Namibia
• Hamoud T’feil Bowbe, Mauritania
• Mohamed Robleh Djama, Djibouti
• Asogbavi Komlan, Togo
• Justice Masauko Timothy Msungama, Malawi
• Lubamba Ngimbi Hector, DR Congo