The Libyan Football Federation (LFF) has warned of potential legal action following Nigeria’s decision to withdraw from the scheduled 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier.
The LFF asserts that it is their duty to safeguard the interests of the Libyan national team.
Nigeria’s Super Eagles cited safety concerns as their reason for pulling out of the match, initially set for Tuesday, October 15, after they were stranded for over 13 hours at Al Abaq Airport due to an unexpected flight diversion on Sunday.
The situation gained widespread attention after images of the Super Eagles sleeping on benches at the airport went viral on Monday, sparking outrage from Nigerian officials. The players and staff had been left without basic necessities, such as food, water, and a place to rest, during their long wait.
In a statement released late Monday night, October 14, the LFF accused the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) of failing to cooperate in organizing the match, resulting in the confusion and subsequent withdrawal.
“The Libyan Football Federation condemns the Nigerian Football Federation’s refusal to participate in the Africa Cup of Nations qualifier match against Libya, stressing that it will pursue all legal actions necessary to protect the interests of the Libyan national football team,” the statement read.
The LFF further pointed out that the “incidents beyond its control” during the current qualifiers cannot be compared to the challenges faced by the Libyan team in the first leg, implying that the Nigerian federation was responsible for the mismanagement of both matches.
“The LFF refers to certain inhumane footage, which did not prevent the Libyan mission from playing the Nigeria-Libya match in Nigeria last Friday, out of cooperation with the Confederation of African Football,” the statement continued.
“The Libyan Football Federation clarifies that it received no cooperation from the Nigerian counterpart concerning either the first or second leg of the match, highlighting that the difficulties faced by Libya in the first leg are far more severe than what Nigeria experienced,” the statement added.
The LFF concluded by apologizing to Libyan football fans and those involved in the match arrangements, expressing regret over the confusion caused by the Nigerian Football Federation, which ultimately led to the match being canceled.
