Tuesday, October 15, 2024 -The Libyan Football Federation has condemned Nigeria’s decision to withdraw from the scheduled 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier, threatening to take legal action to protect its national team’s interests.
The Super Eagles cited safety concerns after
being stranded at Al Abaq Airport for over 13 hours following an unexpected
diversion on Sunday, prompting Nigeria to pull out of the match,
initially set for Tuesday, October 15.
In its statement shared by The Libya
Observer, the LFF accused the Nigerian Football Federation of failing to
cooperate in organising the match and causing the confusion that led to the
current situation.
The statement read, “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 LFF also mentioned that the incidents
beyond its control could not be compared to what the Libyan team experienced in
the first leg, suggesting that the Nigerian federation was responsible for the
mishandling of both the initial and return legs.
“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 statement further offered an apology to
Libyan football fans for the confusion and delays in the match arrangement,
attributing these issues to 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,” the statement
concluded.
The controversy erupted after photos of the
Super Eagles team sleeping on benches went viral early Monday, prompting
condemnation from Nigerian authorities.
The situation worsened as the players,
pilots, and other personnel were stranded at the Libyan airport for over 13
hours without access to necessities like food, water, or a place to rest.
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.
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