The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has issued a statement regarding the contentious Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifying match between Libya and Nigeria. Contrary to speculation about a potential walkover, CAF announced that the match will not proceed as scheduled.
CAF stated, “The TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025 Qualifier fixture between Libya and Nigeria will not take place as scheduled tonight. The matter will be referred to the competent CAF bodies.”
This development follows CAF’s condemnation of the Nigerian national team’s treatment at a Libyan airport. CAF expressed dismay at the “disturbing and unacceptable experiences” faced by the Nigerian delegation, who were stranded for hours under challenging conditions.
The Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) detailed the ordeal. Upon arrival, the Nigerian contingent faced obstacles and disrespectful treatment from local authorities.
The NFF described a lack of basic facilities, including functional scanning machines, forcing officials to use mobile phones to scan passport data pages.
The team’s luggage took over an hour to arrive, and attempts to assess the situation outside the airport were met with hostility from security personnel.
The NFF suggests Libyan authorities may have intentionally delayed the team as retaliation for a perceived slight during the Libyan team’s visit to Nigeria.
However, the NFF disputes this claim, citing last-minute changes in travel plans communicated by the Libyan side. After hours of waiting, the Nigerian delegation departed Al-Abraq Airport at 15:05 hours, heading to Kano and then Abuja.
Nigerian football authorities have called for punitive measures against Libyan officials responsible. This incident casts a shadow over the crucial qualifier in Group A of the AFCON 2025 qualifiers.
Nigeria leads the group with seven points from three games, following their 1-0 victory over Libya in Uyo, secured by Fisayo Dele-Bashiru’s late goal. Benin follows with six points, Rwanda has two, and Libya sits at the bottom with one point.
The top two teams from each qualifying group will advance to the 24-team finals in Morocco next year. However, this controversy adds an unexpected twist to the qualification process, potentially impacting group standings and teams’ paths to the tournament.
