The Libyan Football Federation (LFF) has criticized Nigeria’s decision to pull out of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier against its national team.
Nigeria’s Super Eagles withdrew from the match, which was originally planned for Tuesday, October 15, citing safety concerns after being stranded for more than 13 hours at Al Abaq Airport.
In a statement published by The Libya Observer, the LFF said it is considering taking legal action against Nigeria to defend its national team’s interests.
Libya accused the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) of failing to cooperate in organizing the match, which they say caused the confusion leading 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 argued that the situation outside its control was incomparable to what the Libyan team endured during the first leg of the match, suggesting that the Nigerian federation mismanaged both games.
The LFF emphasized that the Nigerian Football Federation had not cooperated with them at any stage, either for the first or second leg.
They expressed disappointment that the events were being used as a reason for the withdrawal, stating that these issues were minor compared to what the Libyan team faced in Nigeria.
“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.
LFF also extended an apology to Libyan football supporters for the confusion and delays surrounding the match, attributing the issues to the Nigerian Football Federation’s handling of the situation.
“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 began when photos of the stranded Nigerian team, sleeping on benches, spread widely on Monday, leading to criticism from Nigerian officials.
The situation worsened as the team, pilots, and other staff were left stranded at the Libyan airport for more than 13 hours without essential provisions like food, water, or proper rest facilities.
Super Eagles captain William Troost-Ekong described the conditions at the airport as “disgraceful,” accusing the Libyan authorities of playing “mind games” by revoking their landing permit and leaving the team without basic necessities.
