The Libyan Football Federation (LFF) has condemned Nigeria’s decision to withdraw from the scheduled 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier in Libya and is threatening legal action to protect its national team’s interests.
Nigeria’s Super Eagles cited safety concerns after being stranded for over 13 hours at Al Abaq Airport following an unexpected flight diversion on Sunday. This prompted the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) to pull out of the match, which had been scheduled for Tuesday, October 15.
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In a statement shared by The Libya Observer, the LFF accused the NFF of failing to cooperate in organizing the match, which it claims led to the current situation. “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… stressing that it will take all legal measures to preserve the interests of the Libyan national football team,” the statement read.
The LFF also mentioned that the circumstances Nigeria encountered were not comparable to the challenges faced by the Libyan team during the first leg, implying that the NFF mishandled both legs of the encounter.
“The Libyan Federation attaches some inhumane footage that did not prevent the Libyan mission from playing the Nigeria-Libya match last Friday in Nigeria… The Libyan Football Federation clarifies that its Nigerian counterpart did not cooperate… noting that the events beyond our control do not equal a small part of what the Libyan national team was exposed to in the first leg match.”
In addition to condemning the NFF, the LFF issued an apology to Libyan football fans for the confusion and delays caused by the Nigerian withdrawal, attributing the chaos to the NFF’s handling of the situation. “The Libyan Football Federation apologises to Libyan football fans everywhere… due to the state of confusion caused by the Nigerian Football Federation, which led to the match not being held on time.”
The controversy intensified when images of the Super Eagles team sleeping on benches surfaced online, prompting outrage from Nigerian authorities. Players, pilots, and other personnel were left without access to food, water, or proper rest during their extended wait at the Libyan airport.
Super Eagles captain William Troost-Ekong described the situation at Al Abaq Airport as “disgraceful,” accusing Libyan officials of playing “mind games” by revoking the team’s landing permit and leaving them stranded.
