Victoria Mgbanwa
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has issued an October 20 deadline for the Libyan Football Federation (LFF) and the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) to submit official documents concerning the disputed 2025 AFCON qualifying Group D match. The match, scheduled for October 15, was cancelled after the Nigerian Super Eagles’ flight was diverted to Labraq Airport in Libya, where players were reportedly held for 18 hours without access to food, water, or internet.
The Super Eagles were set to face Libya but withdrew after the unplanned diversion and subsequent poor treatment of the team upon arrival. Nigeria’s decision to pull out has prompted CAF to demand a detailed account of the situation from both football associations.
Nasser Al-Suwaie, the Secretary-General of the LFF, confirmed in a statement reported by Libya Al-Ahrar Channel that the LFF has enlisted legal assistance to prepare evidence related to the incident. Al-Suwaie also suggested possible collusion within CAF but maintained that the Libyan Federation had no involvement in diverting the plane to Labraq Airport.
Al-Suwaie emphasized the strength of Libya’s position, distancing the LFF from any responsibility for the events leading to Nigeria’s withdrawal. As the October 20 deadline approaches, both countries must now present their cases to CAF, which will assess the situation and determine the next steps regarding the disputed fixture.
This development raises concerns not only about the future of the AFCON 2025 qualifiers but also about the broader organizational issues within African football.
