The Libyan Football Federation (LFF) on Tuesday said it would not condone excuses from the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to boycott the second leg of the Group D 2025 African Cup of Nations qualifier tie against the Super Eagles.
SaharaReporters had reported how the Nigerian team had been stranded for over 13 hours in Libya after the host country’s government deliberately disrupted their travel plans.
This made the players with the approval of the Nigerian Football Federation decide to withdraw from playing their upcoming African Cup of Nations(AFCON) qualifying match against Libya.
The team had earlier boarded their Valuejet chartered plane to move out of Libya on Monday afternoon after they accused Libyan authorities of maltreating them.
The assistant captain of the team, William Troost-Ekong made this known in his recent X post. He said the players and the officials started making the necessary preparations to leave the North African country.
The Libyan Football Federation in its reaction had stated that it did not make public accusations nor question the integrity of the Nigerian authorities despite the difficulties their team encountered last week.
The explanation contained in a statement LFF shared on its X handle, added that the situation was a routine air traffic and logistical challenges rather than deliberate foul play.
It said the diversion of the Nigerian delegation’s chartered ValueJet aircraft to Al Abraq International Airport, rather than Benghazi as planned, stemmed from air traffic control protocols and security checks common in international travel.
The LFF on its X handle on Tuesday said it would not condone excuses from the Nigeria Football Federation to boycott the second leg
Sharing several photos of their players’ training session, LFF wrote, “Some may be used to putting up obstacles before the match, but here in the heart of Benghazi, specifically on the grounds of the Martyrs of Benina Stadium, there is no room for excuses after the starting whistle.
“Photos from our national team’s training at the Martyrs of Benina International Stadium, in preparation for the match against Nigeria on Tuesday evening, as part of the fourth round of the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.”