The Libyan Football Federation has denounced Nigeria’s withdrawal from the second-leg match in Benghazi against Libya, stating that it will pursue all necessary legal measures to safeguard the interests of the Libyan football team.
In a statement shared by The Libya Observer, the Libyan Football Federation (LFF) expressed its disappointment over Nigeria’s actions, noting that despite facing inhumane treatment in Nigeria, they still chose to proceed with the first-leg match.
The LFF emphasized that the Nigerian side was uncooperative with the Libyan delegation and clarified that the treatment they endured in Nigeria was far worse than what the Nigerian team experienced in Libya.
This development follows the Nigerian senior men’s football team, the Super Eagles, citing safety concerns after being stranded at Al Abaq Airport for over 13 hours. During this time, the team reportedly had no access to basic necessities such as food, water, or a place to rest.
The ill-treatment prompted Nigeria to pull out of the match, initially set for Tuesday, October 15.
The LFF 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 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.
The statement further offered an apology to Libyan football fans for the confusion and delays in the match arrangement, attributing these issues to the Nigerian Football Federation’s actions.
“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.