Super Eagles beat Libya in their AFCON qualifying match in Uyo
Photo credit: PoojaMedia
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has announced that the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifying match between Nigeria and Libya, originally scheduled for October 15, will not be held.
In a statement released on Tuesday afternoon, the African football governing body said the ongoing rift between both nations “will be referred to the competent CAF bodies”.
“The TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025 Qualifier fixture between Libya and Nigeria will not take place as scheduled tonight,” the statement reads.
“The matter will be referred to the competent CAF bodies.”
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However, the continent’s administrative and controlling body for football did not indicate whether the match was cancelled or postponed.
The announcement comes on the back of ongoing tensions between the two countries’ football federations.
The Super Eagles’ flight landed at the Al Abaq airport on Sunday for the second leg of their AFCON qualifying match against Libya. The game was to be held at the Martyrs of February Stadium in Benina, Benghazi.
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However, the Super Eagles players and coaches were held at the Al Abaq airport for over 20 hours without food and drinks.
On Monday morning, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) announced the Super Eagles’ withdrawal from the qualifying match and asked them to return home. The Nigerian team then arrived in Kano from Libya.
Reacting, the Libyan Football Federation (LFF) said the flight diversion experienced by the Nigerian national team was not “intentional”.
The LFF rejected claims of “foul play or sabotage” and argued that their team faced a similar situation in Nigeria.
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The Libyan FA also vowed to take “all necessary legal measures” to protect Libya’s national team’s interests.
The African football governing body earlier disclosed that it was investigating the “disturbing” incident.
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