The Libyan Football Federation (LFF) has attributed the postponement of Tuesday’s Africa Cup of Nations qualifier in Benghazi to Nigeria’s refusal to participate, citing alleged mistreatment upon their arrival. Nigerian players and officials were reportedly held for over 16 hours at an airport after their charter flight was redirected to Bayda, nearly 250 kilometers from their destination in Benghazi. During this time, they lacked access to food, water, and communication with Libyan officials, leading them to decide against playing the match and return to Nigeria.
In response, the LFF urged Nigeria to be understanding, mentioning that their own players faced travel issues during a recent qualifier in Nigeria, where they experienced significant delays. The Confederation of African Football has referred the incident to its disciplinary board for review. The LFF expressed dissatisfaction with the Nigeria Football Federation’s actions and announced plans to pursue legal measures to protect their team’s interests. They also apologized to Libyan football fans and those involved in organizing the match for the confusion caused.
Additionally, the LFF pointed out that their players dealt with difficulties during their prior trip to Nigeria, where a delayed flight made their journey challenging, despite Nigeria winning that match 1-0. Currently, Nigeria leads in the qualifying standings for the Africa Cup of Nations finals, scheduled to be held in Morocco next year, with the top two teams from each group advancing.
