The Africa Cup of Nations qualifier between Libya and Nigeria, scheduled for Tuesday in Benghazi, was postponed following a tense standoff between the two nations.
The Libyan Football Federation (LFF) has pointed fingers at Nigeria for the delay, claiming the visitors refused to play after citing mistreatment upon their arrival in Libya.
The Nigerian squad, including players and officials, endured a chaotic 16-hour ordeal at an airport in Bayda, about 250 kilometers from their intended destination in Benghazi. Their charter flight, redirected while approaching Benghazi, left the Nigerian delegation stranded without access to food, water, or communication with Libyan officials.
The Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) opted to fly back to Nigeria on Monday, stating they felt unsafe and unwilling to proceed with the match under those circumstances.
In response, the LFF maintained that the episode was an unfortunate misunderstanding and urged Nigeria to show understanding, as their players had also experienced travel difficulties the previous week. The LFF emphasised that their team faced similar issues when traveling to Uyo for the first leg of the tie, which ended in a 1-0 victory for Nigeria.
In a statement, the LFF condemned Nigeria’s decision to withdraw and emphasized that they would explore all legal avenues to protect the interests of their national team. They also apologized to Libyan football fans, blaming the NFF for the confusion that led to the postponement.
“The Libyan Football 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,” read a statement released by the federation in the awake on incident.
Libya had arrived in Nigeria only to face significant delays and travel disruptions, with their flight landing far from the match venue. The LFF cited this experience in their defense, stating that both teams had faced challenges but that Nigeria should have played despite the circumstances.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has referred the matter to its disciplinary board for further investigation, as both nations seek resolution.
With Nigeria currently leading their qualifying group and Libya trailing, the stakes remain high as both teams compete for a place in the Africa Cup of Nations finals, scheduled to be held in Morocco next year. The top two teams in each qualification pool will secure a spot in the prestigious tournament.
