The Libyan Football Federation (LFF) has vowed to take legal action against the Super Eagles of Nigeria following the team’s refusal to play in the second leg of their double-header in the qualifiers for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.
The LFF said they are disappointed at Nigeria’s withdrawal from the game and will defend their national team’s interests.
Nigeria on Monday decided to withdraw from the matchday four encounter initially scheduled to take place on Tuesday, October 15, following the disgraceful treatment of its players and staff, who were abandoned at the Al-Abraq Airport in Libya for over 15 hours due to an impromptu flight diversion on Sunday night.
However, following the debacle, which the Confederation of African Football says they will look into, the LFF, in a statement shared by the Libya Observer, claimed the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) failed to cooperate with them as regards the organization of the match.
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 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.”
The Libyan Football Federation has deplored the withdrawal of #Nigeria from the second-leg match against #Libya in Benghazi, saying it will take all legal actions needed to protect the interests of the Libyan football squad.
The LFF said despite the inhumane treatment they had… pic.twitter.com/8NuliaK3yR
— The Libya Observer (@Lyobserver) October 14, 2024
The LFF in its statement, further apologised to Libyan football fans for any delays or confusion caused, while solely putting the blame on the NFF.
“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 stated.
Libya’s Mediterranean Knights and the Super Eagles were supposed to lock horns at the Martyrs of Benina Stadium, but following recent developments, it is left to see what action CAF will take.
After long hours without food and water at the Al-Abraq Airport, the Nigerian players and staff were eventually granted the opportunity to return home, and the team landed safely in Kano on Monday evening.
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