- Over boycott of 2nd leg match in Benghazi
In what is considered a face-saving tactics, the Libyan Football Federation (LFF) has threatened to take legal action against Nigeria following the Super Eagles’ decision to withdraw from the scheduled 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier.
The LFF, which vowed to protect its national team’s interests, maintained that the boycott decision is condemnable being orchestrated by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) for selfish reasons.
In its statement shared by The Libya Observer, the LFF accused the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) of failing to cooperate in organising the match and causing the confusion that led to the current situation.
According to the statement; “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.”
Also, the LFF said 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 the initial and return legs.
The statement further said; “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”.
In offering an apology to Libyan football fans for the confusion and delays in the match arrangement, the statement maintained that the NFF should be held accountable for all the issues that have so far arisen from the botched return leg encounter
“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 said.
The social media erupted with scathing comments 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, pilots, and other personnel were stranded at the Libyan airport for over 14 hours without access to necessities like food, water, or a place to rest.
The Super Eagles captain, William Troost-Ekong, described the conditions at Al Abaq Airport as “disgraceful,” accusing Libyan authorities of deliberately playing “mind games” by revoking their landing permit and leaving the team stranded without basic amenities.
The Eagles had cited safety concerns after being stranded at Al Abaq Airport for over 14 hours following an unexpected diversion on Sunday, prompting Nigeria to pull out of the match, initially set for today, Tuesday, October 15 in Benghazi, Libya’s second biggest city after Tripoli, which is the nation’s capital.
