Libya Considers Legal Action over Nigeria’s AFCON Withdrawal

The Libyan Football Federation has condemned Nigeria’s withdrawal from the second leg match against Libya in Benghazi, stating that it will take all necessary legal action to preserve the rights of the Libyan football squad.

According to a statement issued by The Libya Observer, the LFF opted to play the first leg match despite the terrible treatment they suffered in Nigeria, noting that the Nigerian side was uncooperative with the Libya delegation

The LFF stated that the treatment they faced in Nigeria was far worse than what Nigeria experienced in Libya.

The development comes after the Nigerian football senior men’s team, the Super Eagles, expressed safety concerns after being stranded at Al Abaq Airport for more than 13 hours without access to basic essentials such as food, water, and a place to relax.

The situation quickly escalated, exacerbated by photographs of the Super Eagles sleeping on airport benches.

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 ill-treatment prompted Nigeria to pull out of the match, initially set for Tuesday, October 15.

The statement continued: “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 Libyan Federation attaches some inhumane footage, which did not prevent the Libyan mission from playing the Nigeria-Libya match in Nigeria last Friday in collaboration with the Confederation of African Football.”

“The Libyan Football Federation clarifies that its Nigerian counterpart did not interact with it in any way,”

Whether it is the first or second leg match, it is important to note that factors outside our control do not account for a small portion of what the Libyan national team experienced in the first leg match,” it stated.

The statement also apologized to Libyan football fans for the confusion and delays in the match scheduling, blaming these issues on the Nigerian Football Federation’s actions.

“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,” according to the statement.