President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Bola Ahmed Tinubu has called for sanctions against Libya after the Nigerian national team suffered a harrowing experience in the North African country.
The Super Eagles finally arrived Nigeria late Monday after being detained and left stranded at the Al Abraq Airport for over 16 hours by the Libyan authorities.
The team had travelled for the second leg of their 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifying tie against Libya, but after the ill experience, resolved to withdraw from the game earlier billed for Tuesday.
Reacting after the Eagles successfully landed in the country, Tinubu appealed to the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to sanction Libya and ensure that such does not repeat.
A statement by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga reads: “President Tinubu applauds the players for keeping their spirit alive despite the excruciating ordeal in Libya.
“The Nigerian leader recognises football’s unifying power in bringing nations and people together and views the treatment of our citizens as unsportsmanlike and inhumane, a stark contrast to the spirit of the game he deeply appreciates.
“He fervently calls on all lovers of the round-leather game and administrators to unite and work collaboratively to prevent and overcome such incidents in the future,” he wrote.
Read Also: Eagles land in Nigeria after ordeal in Libya as CAF launches investigations
Meanwhile, the Libyan football authorities have insisted that they suffered a similar experience when they came to Nigeria for the first leg of the tie played at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium last Friday.
The federation has threatened to take legal action against Nigeria after the Super Eagles withdrew from the game billed for today (Tuesday).
The Nigerian players cited safety concerns as reason for pulling out.
But the Libyan federation has accused the NFF for refusing to cooperate with them.
A statement read, “The Libyan Football Federation condemns the measures taken by the Nigerian Football Federation by refusing to play the Libya-Nigeria match in the African Cup of Nations qualifiers scheduled for Tuesday, October 15, stressing that it will take all legal measures to preserve the interests of the Libyan national football team.
“The LFF also mentioned that the incidents beyond its control could not be compared to what the Libyan team experienced in the first leg, suggesting that the Nigerian federation was responsible for the mishandling of both the initial and return legs.
“The Libyan Federation attaches some inhumane footage that did not prevent the Libyan mission from playing the Nigeria-Libya match last Friday in Nigeria, out of cooperation with the Confederation of African Football.
“The Libyan Football Federation clarifies that its Nigerian counterpart did not cooperate with it in any way, whether regarding the first or second leg match, noting that the events beyond our control do not equal a small part of what the Libyan national team was exposed to in the first leg match,” it said.
The statement further offered an apology to Libyan football fans for the confusion and delays in the match arrangement, attributing these issues to the NFF’s actions.
“The Libyan Football Federation apologises to Libyan football fans everywhere and to the parties concerned with the match arrangements due to the state of confusion caused by the Nigerian Football Federation, which led to the match not being held on time,” the statement concluded.
As it stands, the continental football body, CAF is currently carrying oit an investigation into the incident.
Join the conversation
Opinions
Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism
Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.
As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.
If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.
Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.
Donate Now
