AFCON 2023: CAF clears Nigeria, sanctions Cote d’Ivoire, Mali, Sengal

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has cleared Nigeria and all Super Eagles players of any wrongdoing during the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.

The Super Eagles impressed at the AFCON, playing seven matches, securing victories in five, drawing one, and experiencing a lone defeat.

Nigeria maintained an unbeaten streak in their first six matches, only succumbing to a 2-1 defeat against host nation Cote d’Ivoire in the final. However, CAF’s investigations did not find any infractions on the part of Nigeria and the Super Eagles players.

Contrastingly, AFCON winners Cote d’Ivoire, Mali, and 2021 champions Senegal faced the disciplinary axe from the CAF Disciplinary Board. The Board convened to deliberate on various matters and decided to impose sanctions on Mali and Cote d’Ivoire, specifically related to their knockout round clash on February 3rd.

The Fédération Malienne de Football faced charges of misconduct due to unsporting behavior by its players towards the match official. Hamari Traore, in particular, was found guilty of unsporting conduct and received a four-match suspension, with two matches suspended for one year. Additionally, the Malian Football Federation incurred a fine of 10,000 US Dollars.