AFCON 2025 (Q) - Libya-Nigeria affair: CAF set to come down hard
A few weeks after Nigeria's ordeal in Libya, CAF president Patrice Motsepe has responded.
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The Libya v Nigeria match, scheduled for matchday 4 of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, did not take place. The reason: the Super Eagles' plane was diverted to an airport other than Benghazi. The Nigerian delegation was left to fend for itself, without water or food, for more than 12 hours. Angered, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) went home and boycotted the fixture.
Patrice Motsepe fed up with these problems in Africa
This is not a first in Africa. Poor hospitality is commonplace in African football. And Patrice Motsepe intends to put an end to these outdated practices. He also drew a parallel with everything that happened during the Covid-19 period.
Read also: AFCON 2025 (Q): Nigeria refuse to play Libya
"I have heard too many stories of a football club or a national team travelling to a country, spending hours at the airport and being asked for documents that don't even exist, and apparently during Covid they would go and pick out your best players in the team and say they have Covid, but you say, we've just been tested, and they say, no no no, they have Covid and that's final, so they take them out of the game to weaken you. For me, it is a lack of sportsmanship not to have taken the necessary measures", the CAF president lamented, on the sidelines of the organisation's General Assembly in Addis Ababa.
Libya face a heavy sanction
CAF does not intend to let this episode, which tarnishes the image of African football, pass. An investigation for breach of the CAF Statutes and Regulations has been opened following the incident. If responsibility is established, the continental body will move to impose sanctions.
Read also: Nigeria's case in Libya: CAF opens an investigation
"We are proud of the nations that treat visiting national teams and clubs with the dignity and respect they deserve. We are reviewing these rules and we will take action", Motsepe announced. It really doesn't look good for the Knights of the Mediterranean.