Libya threatens legal action over Nigeria’s withdrawal from AFCON qualifier

The Libyan Football Federation has threatened to take legal action after Nigeria’s decision to withdraw from the scheduled 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier, saying it is their duty to protect the national team’s interest.

The Super Eagles cited safety concerns after being stranded at Al Abaq Airport for over 13 hours following an unexpected diversion on Sunday, prompting Nigeria to pull out of the match, initially billed for Tuesday, October 15.

The controversy erupted after photos of the Super Eagles team sleeping on benches went viral early Monday, prompting condemnation from Nigerian authorities.

The situation worsened as the players and other personnel were stranded at the Libyan airport for over 13 hours without access to necessities like food, water, or a place to rest.

In a statement released by the Libyan Football Federation on Monday night, October 14, the LFF accused the Nigerian Football Federation of failing to cooperate in organising the match and causing the confusion that led to the current situation.

“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 statement read

The LFF also mentioned that the ‘’incidents beyond its control” could not be compared to what the Libyan team experienced in the first leg, suggesting that the Nigerian federation was responsible for the mishandling of both legs.

“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.

“The Libyan Football Federation clarifies that its Nigerian counterpart did not cooperate with it in any way, whether regarding the first or second leg match, noting that the events beyond our control do not equal a small part of what the Libyan national team was exposed to in the first leg match,” it said.

“The Libyan Football Federation apologises to Libyan football fans everywhere and to the parties concerned with the match arrangements due to the state of confusion caused by the Nigerian Football Federation, which led to the match not being held on time,” the statement conclu