The Libyan Football Federation (LFF) has condemned the Nigeria Football Federation’s (NFF) decision to boycott their 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifying match, originally scheduled for October 15.
In a statement released on Tuesday, the LFF also vowed to take “all necessary legal measures” to protect Libya’s national team’s interests.
The statement also highlighted Nigeria’s “lack of cooperation”, citing the Libyan team’s “difficult experience” during the first leg match in Uyo, Akwa Ibom, which the Super Eagles won.
“The Libyan Football Federation strongly condemns the Nigerian Football Federation’s decision to refuse playing the Libya-Nigeria match in the African Cup of Nations qualifiers scheduled for Tuesday, October 15,” the statement reads.
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“We will take all necessary legal measure to protect and preserve the interests of its national football team.
“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 in preventing it in any way, whether in relation to the first or second leg match, knowing 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.
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“The LFF apologized to its football fans and stakeholders for the scheduling chaos caused by ‘NFF’s actions,’ resulting in the delayed match.”
قد يكون البعض معتادًا على وضع العراقيل قبل المباراة، لكن هنا في قلب بنغازي، وتحديدًا على أرضية ملعب شهداء بنينا، لا مجال للأعذار بعد صافرة البداية 🇱🇾🇱🇾
🇱🇾 ليبيا 🆚 نيجيريا 🇳🇬
📅 : الثلاثاء 15/10/2024
🕔 : 9:00PM
🏟️ : ملعب شهداء بنينا
🏆 : تصفيات كأس أمم أفريقيا#AFCONQ2025 pic.twitter.com/iX32Du1uEx— Libyan FF – الإتحاد الليبي لكرة القدم (@Libyan_FF) October 15, 2024
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صور من تدريبات منتخبنا الوطني على أرضية ملعب شهداء بنينا الدولي، استعدادًا لمواجهة منتخب نيجيريا مساء غدٍ الثلاثاء، ضمن الجولة الرابعة من تصفيات كأس أمم أفريقيا 🇱🇾🏟️.#ليبيا #نيجيريا #تصفيات_كأس_أمم_أفريقيا pic.twitter.com/yo4GUMF4Ci
— Libyan FF – الإتحاد الليبي لكرة القدم (@Libyan_FF) October 14, 2024
Photos from our national team’s training at the Martyrs of Benina International Stadium, in preparation for the match against Nigeria tomorrow evening, Tuesday, as part of the fourth round of the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers 🇱🇾🏟️#Libya #Nigeria #Caf pic.twitter.com/MYqckz7nrG
— Libyan FF – الإتحاد الليبي لكرة القدم (@Libyan_FF) October 14, 2024
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Players of the Libyan football national team on Monday participated in a training session in anticipation of the clash with the Super Eagles.
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BACKGROUND
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 scheduled for Tuesday 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.
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Reacting to the situation, 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.
Also reacting, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) said it is investigating the “disturbing” incident.
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