1 week ago
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THE verdict of the Confederation of African Football to descend on Libya is generating ripples beyond football. CAF punished Libya after its government and the Libya Football Federation meted out unprovoked inhumane treatment to the Super Eagles and the Nigerian contingent in that country for the second leg of the botched 2025 African Cup of Nations qualifier on October 15.
There are reports that the Libyan authorities are maltreating Nigerians resident in Libya after CAF punished Libya. The world of football should reprove the intransigence of Libya’s state actors over the ruling of the CAF.
CAF gave the three points in the match in Nigeria’s favour because Libya was adjudged to have deliberately diverted the plane carrying the Super Eagles and officials to another airport.
The LFF demonstrated utter contempt for sportsmanship, the law, and brotherhood in the matter. This intemperate conduct negates the push by the late leader of that country, Muammar Ghaddafi, for the United States of Africa.
The Libyans subjected their Nigerian counterparts to inhumane treatment and insecurity on arrival in Libya for the second leg of the match over a perceived protocol debacle that should have been handled amicably.
A few moments before landing, the Libyan authorities diverted the Super Eagles’ aircraft to the unsafe and “locked” Al-Abraq Airport instead of the original Benghazi Airport and abandoned them there for more than 20 hours without reception by the host, food, water, or network to contact them.
The contingent slept on soft and dusty couches in the mosquito-infested airport and was expected to travel three hours to the match venue by road. The NFF had no choice but to cancel the match, return home and formally report the LFF to CAF.
It later became clear to CAF, NFF and the world that Libya’s conduct stemmed from the perceived offence when the team was in Nigeria for the first-leg match. The Libyans said they were given the worst hospitality in Nigeria a few days earlier.
According to them, their aircraft was made to land in Port Harcourt instead of Uyo, the match venue. They complained that when they finally landed in Port Harcourt, there was no arrangement to travel to Uyo by air. Consequently, they had to make a private arrangement to travel for one and a half hours by road, tired and frustrated. They complained that they waited for more than three hours on arrival without arrangement for reception.
In response, the NFF said it accorded the Libyans the best hospitality, and that protocol and communication issues caused the flight debacle. The NFF said that at the last minute, the LFF refused the flight organised for its team to Uyo and chose to travel by road.
The accusations and counteraccusations are needless. The issues of protocol and communication should have ordinarily been handled with dialogue.
That country reportedly resorted to self-help again by arresting and harassing Nigerians in Libya, imposing $500 taxes. Some Libyans are reportedly saying that the Nigerians would pay the CAF fine. This is crude and un-African. Indeed, Libya’s acts are like taking up arms against CAF, Africa, and sportsmanship.
While Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has denied the mass arrest of Nigerians in Libya, the President of the Nigerian community in Libya, Peter Omoreigbe, said, “They are arresting innocent people. They don’t even care whether you have a passport or resident permit.”
The African Union should caution Libya before its intransigence throws the continent into an unnecessary diplomatic row. Sports administration is conducted independently. It is therefore strange that Libya would resort to the arrest of Nigerians over sport-induced differences.
