Libya criticises Nigeria’s Afcon qualifier boycott
The Libyan Football Federation (LFF) has criticised the Nigerian Football Federation after the Nigerian national team returned to the West African country ahead of the scheduled 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier match to be played in Benghazi.
The Nigerian national team were recently left stranded in Libya.
The Super Eagles decided to boycott the match, scheduled for Tuesday 7pm GMT, after their plane was diverted and stranded at Al Abraq Airport on Sunday.
After being stopped at a terminal about 230km (143 miles) from their intended destination, the Super Eagles returned home and arrived in Kano on Monday afternoon.
Libya had been training and appeared set to turn up at the Stade des Martyrs in Benin to try to host the match, but the Confederation of African Football (CAF) confirmed the qualifiers would not go ahead.
A statement from the LFF said it “condemns” the steps taken by the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) in refusing to play the game, and said it would take “all necessary legal measures” to preserve the interests of the Mediterranean Knights.
Super Eagles captain William Troost-Ekong defended the squad’s decision to boycott the match on social media.
“Football is about respect, and that starts by respecting ourselves,” he said in a post on X.
William Troost Ekong was not happy with how his team was treated in Libya.
“Our goal of doing the best for Nigerian football won’t ever change. I look forward to continue our journey to Afcon 2025 next month in the right way.”
A Caf disciplinary board is investigating the circumstances after Nigeria were “stranded in disturbing conditions”.
The abandoned qualifier between Nigeria and Libya has several potential outcomes.
Libya could be awarded a 3-0 victory, or the Confederation of African Football (Caf) might order the match to be rescheduled for a later date.
Nigeria is preparing to lodge an official complaint with Caf, and there is also the possibility of appeals to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Hypocrisy from Nigeria towards Libya?
This incident follows Libya’s recent frustrations when their team faced travel difficulties during their visit to Nigeria for a qualifier in Uyo, where their flight landed far from the match venue, causing significant delays.
In that match, Nigeria secured a 1-0 victory, pushing them to seven points at the top of Group D, while Libya remains at the bottom with just one point, facing imminent elimination from the tournament.
Also read: 2025 AFCON qualifiers: CAF to punish Libya?