Libya FF condemns NFF’s decision to withdraw Nigeria from AFCON qualifier, threatens legal action
The Libyan Football Federation has condemned Nigeria Football Federation, NFF’s decision to withdraw the Super Eagles from Tuesday’s 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier and threatened to take legal action to protect its national team’s interests.
Nigeria cited safety concerns after being stranded at Al Abaq Airport for over 14 hours after the ValueJet chartered aircraft was prevented from landing in Benghazi as originally scheduled and diverted to a small airport in Al Abaq.
In a statement on its X handle, the Libya Football Federation blamed the NFF for causing the match to be called off and showed photos of its national team, the Mediterranean Knights training at the Benina stadium, the venue of the now botched match.
‘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 Libyans also revealed what the Nigerians went through while on Libyan soil could not be compared to what its team was subjected to in Nigeria for the first leg of the double header.
‘During our recent trip to Nigeria for the third round of the Africa Cup of Nations qualification, our team faced challenging circumstances.
‘Originally, we were scheduled to land at an airport near the city where the match was to take place. However, shortly before our arrival, the airport authorities instructed our pilot to divert to another airport approximately 350 kilometers away from the match location.
‘Upon landing, the situation deteriorated further, as we experienced unprofessional treatment by the security personnel at the airport. Our team was then forced to travel through dense forest and remote jungle roads in the middle of the night, without any security escorts.
‘The hardships we encountered are evident in the footage we’ve shared, which clearly demonstrates the unacceptable conditions we faced.
‘We believe it is important to bring attention to these issues to ensure fair and safe conditions for all teams participating in international competitions.’
‘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 governing body also apologized to fans for the confusion and delays in the match arrangement.
‘The Libyan Football Federation apologizes 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,’ read the concluding part of the statement.
