The Confederation of African Football (CAF) President Patrice Motsepe has confirmed an ongoing investigation into the recent controversy surrounding Nigeria’s Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Libya.
He emphasized that CAF will not tolerate unsportsmanlike behaviour or unfair treatment in African football.
Speaking at a press conference after the 46th Ordinary General Assembly in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Motsepe addressed concerns raised about the Nigerian team’s difficulties during their trip to Libya.
The Super Eagles faced significant challenges, including a redirected flight, over 18 hours of delays, and logistical issues. Motsepe stated that the situation is under thorough review.
He stated, “It’s because when there was this problem with the Nigerian national team in Libya, and I will not comment on that, because there’s a proper investigation. But I want to emphasise a principle that we will not tolerate because this is something that has been going on for quite some time.
“Your national team, let me emphasise, forget about the Nigeria and Libya situation, because that process has been properly investigated, and appropriate action will be taken.”
He further highlighted that such issues have been recurring in African football, where visiting teams are sometimes treated poorly.
“Too many stories have been told of national teams or football clubs going to a country, and they spend hours at the airport, being asked about documents that don’t exist,” Motsepe said.
During his remarks, the CAF President emphasised the importance of treating visiting teams with respect and dignity, pointing to the principle of fairness in competition.
CAF had described what happened to the Nigerian team in Libya as “extremely dangerous,” noting that it had contacted the Libyan and Nigerian authorities after reporting that the latter had been subjected to worrying conditions for hours at the airport.
Meanwhile, CAF may today announce the final decision regarding the players’ ordeal during the first leg in Nigeria in October, which ended 1-0 in favour of the Super Eagles and the reverse fixture that would have held at the 10,550-capacity, Libya’s first all-seater stadium according to Libya Al-Ahrar Channel.
In the same vein, CAF released the 2022-2023 audited Financial Report and 2024-2025 budget after achieving a significant financial turnaround in the 2022-2023 fiscal year, with a remarkable reduction in losses from $28.9m to $9.2m.
A year before, CAF deficit was sitting at $45m. This continued positive development is primarily attributed to the strategic reforms implemented by the CAFs management in 2021.
From the budgeted revenues in 2024-2025, CAF is projecting a net profit of $11.7m – for the first time in a long time.
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