The Libyan Football Federation (LFF) has expressed outrage over Nigeria’s sudden decision to pull out of the scheduled 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier, warning that they may pursue legal action to safeguard their national team’s interests.
Nigeria’s Super Eagles were set to face Libya on Tuesday, October 15, but the match has been thrown into chaos after the Nigerian team decided to withdraw due to safety concerns.
The Super Eagles found themselves stranded at Al Abaq Airport for over 13 hours after an unexpected flight diversion on Sunday, which raised alarms about their safety and well-being. This prompted Nigeria to officially pull out of the fixture.
In a statement shared by The Libya Observer, the LFF criticized the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF), accusing them of not cooperating in organizing the match and creating confusion. The Libyan federation said it will explore legal measures to ensure their national team’s interests are protected.
“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,” read part of the LFF’s statement.
Libya’s football governing body also pointed out that their team had faced even more challenging conditions during the first leg of the qualifier in Nigeria but still managed to play the match. They suggested that Nigeria’s decision not to go ahead with the return leg was a result of mismanagement and a lack of cooperation from the Nigerian side.
“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 statement added.
Libyan officials apologized to their football supporters for the confusion and delays surrounding the match. They insisted that the confusion was caused by Nigeria’s failure to organize the return leg properly.
“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 LFF concluded.
Tensions escalated after photos of Nigeria’s players sleeping on benches at the Libyan airport circulated online. Nigerian officials voiced their frustrations, blaming Libyan authorities for the team’s treatment. The stranded Super Eagles had no access to basic necessities such as food, water, or proper resting facilities during their prolonged stay at the airport.
The situation was further inflamed by comments from Super Eagles captain, William Troost-Ekong, who described the experience as “disgraceful” and accused Libyan officials of playing “mind games” by revoking the team’s landing permit, thereby leaving the players stranded without adequate support.
