The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has imposed a substantial fine of $50,000 on the Libyan Football Federation (LFF) due to the misconduct of Libyan fans and officials during the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier match against Benin.
The incident occurred on the final day of the qualifiers, when Benin secured a goalless draw against Libya in Benghazi, booking their ticket to the continental showpiece.
However, the outcome of the match caused anger among Libyan fans, who resorted to violent behavior, throwing stones and bottles at the visiting Benin team.
Benin’s head coach, Gernot Rohr, expressed his disappointment at the assault on his players and officials by Libyan fans and police after the final whistle.
This incident prompted the CAF Disciplinary Board to take action against the LFF.
After conducting a thorough investigation, the CAF Disciplinary Board found the Libyan Football Federation guilty of violating Articles 82 and 151 of the CAF Disciplinary Code. These violations pertained to the unacceptable behavior of Libyan supporters and officials during and after the match.
As a consequence of these violations, the CAF Disciplinary Board imposed a fine of $50,000 on the Libyan Football Federation.
Furthermore, the LFF was ordered to play its next two official national team matches behind closed doors, effectively banning fans from attending these games.
In an official statement, the CAF Disciplinary Board declared, “The CAF Disciplinary Board found the Libyan Football Federation guilty of violating articles 82 and 151 of the CAF Disciplinary Code for the behavior 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.”
This is not the first time the Libyan Football Federation has faced disciplinary action. In a similar incident, the LFF was fined $50,000 following a botched game against the Nigerian Super Eagles. On that occasion, the Nigerian national team was left stranded at the Al-Abraq International Airport for over 20 hours, ultimately leading to the team’s decision to abandon the game.
