The Libyan Football Federation has condemned 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.
In a statement shared by The Libya Observer, the LFF said despite the inhumane treatment they had received in Nigeria, they decided to play the first-leg match, confirming that the Nigerian side was uncooperative with the Libyan delegation.
The LFF clarified that the treatment they received in Nigeria was much worse than Nigeria had in Libya.
The development comes after the Nigerian football senior men’s team, Super Eagles cited safety concerns after being stranded at Al Abaq Airport for over 13 hours without access to necessities like food, water, or a place to rest.
The situation soon led to an uproar, which was further fueled by photos of the Super Eagles team sleeping on benches at the airport.
The Super Eagles captain, William Troost-Ekong, described the conditions at Al Abaq Airport as “disgraceful,” accusing Libyan authorities of deliberately playing “mind games” by revoking their landing permit and leaving the team stranded without basic amenities.
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.
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