A decision by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) that gave Nigeria a 3-0 victory in their postponed 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualification has been officially appealed by the Libya Football Federation (LFF).

In an attempt to challenge the match forfeiture and the associated $50,000 punishment, the LFF has hired Tunisian attorney Ali Abbas to present its case, according to the Libya Review.

Nigeria’s difficult trip to Benghazi for the return leg of the AFCON qualifier versus Libya, which was initially set for October 15, is the source of the dispute.

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With no Libyan officials on hand to help, the Super Eagles’ flight was diverted to Al Abraq Airport, around 300 kilometres from Benghazi, resulting in an 18-hour delay.

Citing Libya’s logistical and organisational shortcomings, CAF cancelled the away game after Nigeria’s 1-0 home victory in Uyo on October 11.

On October 26, the CAF Disciplinary Committee, led by Ousmane Kane, rendered a decision in which it cited Libya for violating Articles 82 and 151 of the CAF Disciplinary Code as well as Article 31 of the AFCON Regulations.

Nigeria was given three goals and three points after CAF decided that Libya would forfeit the postponed game.

The Libyan federation was also mandated to pay a fine of $50,000 within 60 days. The LFF has responded by strongly opposing what it describes as a “unfair” decision that drops Libya to the bottom of Group D with just one point.

According to a statement from the Libyan media, the LFF feels that this decision will negatively affect their qualification chances.

Nigeria now needs just one more point to guarantee their qualifying for the AFCON finals in Morocco, therefore the decision of this appeal could have a significant impact on the group rankings.