Libyan FA Threatens Legal Action Against Nigeria For AFCON Match Boycott

Libyan FA threatens legal action against Nigeria for AFCON match boycott

The LFF had said on Monday that the incident was not deliberate and urged Nigeria to be understanding.

The Libyan Football Federation (LFF) said Nigeria were to blame for the postponement of Tuesday’s scheduled Africa Cup of Nations qualifier in Benghazi after the visitors refused to play the match citing mistreatment on arrival in the country, according to Reuters.

Nigerian players and officials were kept in a locked airport for over 16 hours almost 250km away from their intended destination after their charter flight was redirected while on approach to Benghazi and instead landed in Bayda.

They said they had no access to food or water, or contact from Libyan officials during the episode, and decided to fly back to Nigeria on Monday rather than fulfil the fixture. The LFF had said on Monday that the incident was not deliberate and urged Nigeria to be understanding, adding that their players had also faced travel difficulties last week.

The Confederation of African Football has said it has referred the matter to its disciplinary board. The LFF said in a statement it deplored the actions taken by the Nigeria Football Federation and that it would take all legal measures to protect the interests of the national team.

The LFF statement read, “The Libyan Football Federation condemns the measures taken by the Nigerian Football Federation by refusing to play the Libya-Nigeria match in the African Cup of Nations qualifiers scheduled for Tuesday, October 15, stressing that it will take all legal measures to preserve the interests of the Libyan national football team.”

“The Libyan Federation attaches some inhumane footage that did not prevent the Libyan mission from playing the Nigeria-Libya match last Friday in Nigeria, out of cooperation with the Confederation of African Football,” read the statement in part.

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The LFF also issued an apology to their supporters for the inconveniences caused. “The Federation apologises to the Libyan football fans everywhere and the parties concerned with the arrangements of the match due to the state of confusion caused by the Nigerian Football Federation, which led to the failure to hold the match on time,” it added.

The LFF had earlier complained about the treatment of their players and officials on arrival in Nigeria for a qualifier in Uyo last week, which saw their flight land hours away from the match venue and the players endured long travel delays.

Libya FA unhappy with Nigeria’s Super Eagles for not ‘co-operating’ vow to take legal steps

The Mediterranean Knights Football Federation is unhappy with Nigeria’s decision to abandon the second-leg clash in Libya. They believe the Super Eagles should have co-operated regardless of what happened.

The Libyan Football Federation has voiced out its displeasure with its Nigerian counterparts after the Super Eagles decided to abandon their 2025 AFCON qualifier due to the inhumane conditions they were treated to.

The organisation accused the Super Eagles of treating them the same way when they were in Uyo to face coach Austine Eguavoen’s side in the 1-0 defeat, stressing that Libya went ahead with the game despite the hurdles it faced in Nigeria.

What’s unfolding for the Super Eagles in Libya: is it a diplomatic dilemma or just dark football tactics at play?

— Pulse Sports Nigeria (@PulseSportsNG) October 14, 2024
Recall that the Super Eagles of Nigeria had traveled to Libya on Sunday and were on course to land at the Benghazi airport.

However, the ValueJet plane Nigeria boarded was diverted by the Libyan authorities to the small Abraq airport just as the pilot was approaching his initial destination – the Benghazi airport.

The Super Eagles entourage was denied access to accommodation, transportation, and communication. The host nation provided no explanation as to why the Nigerian team were being locked out in what looked like a hostage situation.

Captain Williams Troost-Ekong threatened that Nigeria would not go ahead with the game after he and the rest of the team were stranded for over 20 hours without food, and some players were seen sleeping on makeshift beds at the airport.

The Super Eagles in Libya 😢
How can they prepare for their game tomorrow? This is so sad! 🤦🏽‍♂️

📷 Troost Ekong #AFCON2025Q #SuperEagles pic.twitter.com/32L3wIuhy5

— Pulse Sports Nigeria (@PulseSportsNG) October 14, 2024
CAF intervenes to persuade Nigeria
On Monday, October 14th, the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) contacted the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to report the ill-treatment by the Libyan Federation.

CAF, in its response, released a statement stating that it was conducting an internal investigation into the matter.

“The Confederation Africaine de Football (CAF) has been in contact with the Libyan and Nigerian authorities after it had been informed that the Nigerian National Football Team (‘’Super Eagles’’) and their technical team were stranded in disturbing conditions for several hours at an airport that they were allegedly instructed to land by the Libyan authorities.

“The matter has been referred to the CAF Disciplinary Board for investigation, and appropriate action will be taken against those who violated the CAF Statutes and Regulations,” the CAF statement read.

Moreover, the African Football Governing Body also tried to persuade Nigeria’s Sports Minister to allow the Super Eagles to go on with the game schedule for Tuesday, October 15th, but Senator John Owan Enoh would not bulge, rather prioritised the team’s safety, and threw his weight behind the decision to abandon the Libya-Nigeria game.

LIbya FA ready to sue Nigeria Football Federation
The Libyan Football Federation has accused the NFF of a lack of cooperation in preventing the ‘hostage’ situation that the Super Eagles were exposed to.

CAF releases statement as Nigeria’s Super Eagles remain stranded in Libya

Super Eagles arrive Nigeria from Libya: welcomed with Fufu and Egusi
The football body also attached footage of what it terms ‘inhumane’ treatment it received in Nigeria that could have prevented Libya from playing the first-leg match last week, but it went ahead just to cooperate with the Confederation of African Football.

Furthermore, the Libyan Football Federation, while apologising to Libyan football fans everywhere, stated that it would take all legal measures to preserve the interests of the Libyan national football team.

🚨:Official Statement | بيان رسمي pic.twitter.com/Xit9IhvSwn

— Libyan FF – الإتحاد الليبي لكرة القدم (@Libyan_FF) October 14, 2024
What next?
It remains to be seen how CAF will resolve this issue. Will Libya be docked points for how it treated Nigeria, or will the Super Eagles be sanctioned for failing to go on with the game regardless of what happened?

Team Nigeria is back in the country, as they landed in Kano last night, with local fans excited to see their stars return safely.

Nigeria currently lead the group with 7 points from three matches while Libya is bottom with just one point.