AFCON feud: CAF sets deadline for Nigeria, Libya to submit reports

The Confederation of African Football, (CAF) has requested both the Libyan and Nigerian football associations to submit documents concerning the cancellation of the Group D 2025 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier.

The Super Eagles had withdrawn from the October 15 match after their plane was diverted to Labraq Airport, where players were reportedly held for 18 hours without food, water, or internet.

Libya Al-Ahrar Channel reported that Nasser Al-Suwaie, Secretary-General of the Libyan Football Federation (LFF), confirmed the October 20 deadline in a statement.

Al-Suwaie mentioned that the LFF has appointed a lawyer to gather evidence and raised concerns about possible collusion from some parties within CAF.

However, he affirmed that the position of the Libyan Federation is strong.

He clarified that the LFF had no role in diverting the plane to Al-Abraq Airport, explaining that the decision was made by the Libyan state, which he said must be respected.

The Feud

The Nigeria-Libya AFCON qualifier faceoff has been quite eventful.

The Super Eagles of Nigeria were scheduled to play against Libya’s Mediterranean Knights in Benghazi, but the match was postponed after the Nigerian team faced a harrowing experience at the Al Abraq Airport in Libya.

They were diverted from their original destination, Benghazi, and landed over 200km away, where they were left stranded for over 12 hours with no food, water, or communication.

The Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) released a statement saying the players and officials were stuck at the airport for over 12 hours, and the team eventually decided to return home instead of playing the match.

The Libyan Football Federation (LFF) apologized for the incident, stating it was not intentional and blaming air traffic protocols and security checks.

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has launched an investigation into the matter and referred it to its disciplinary board.

As a result, CAF has officially removed the second-leg fixture between Nigeria and Libya from the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers schedule.

Nigeria is currently top of Group D with seven points from three matches, while Libya remains at the bottom of the table.

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