Libya threatens legal action over Nigeria’s withdrawal from AFCON qualifier
The Libyan Football Federation (LFF) has threatened legal action following Nigeria’s decision to withdraw from the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier, asserting it has a duty to protect the interests of its national team.
Nigeria’s Super Eagles pulled out of the match, originally scheduled for Tuesday, October 15, citing safety concerns after being stranded for over 13 hours at Al Abaq Airport. The delay was caused by an unexpected diversion on Sunday. Photos of the Nigerian team sleeping on airport benches went viral early Monday, sparking outrage from Nigerian authorities.
The situation worsened as the players and staff remained at the airport for hours without basic necessities such as food, water, or proper resting areas.
In a statement released on Monday night, October 14, the LFF criticized the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) for its handling of the situation, accusing them of not cooperating in organizing the match and causing the confusion.
The LFF stated, “The Libyan Football Federation condemns the actions of the Nigerian Football Federation in refusing to play the Libya-Nigeria match in the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers scheduled for Tuesday, October 15. We will take all legal measures to protect the interests of the Libyan national team.”
The LFF further noted that the incidents leading to Nigeria’s withdrawal were beyond its control and could not be compared to what the Libyan team faced in the first leg of the qualifier, hinting that the NFF was responsible for mishandling both fixtures.
“The Libyan Federation attaches some inhumane footage that did not prevent the Libyan mission from playing the Nigeria-Libya match last Friday in Nigeria, out of cooperation with the Confederation of African Football.
“The Libyan Football Federation clarifies that its Nigerian counterpart did not cooperate with it in any way, whether regarding the first or second leg match, 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,” it said.
“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,” the statement concluded.
