Nigeria, Libya submit documents to CAF over botched Afcon qualifier

Nigeria and Libya have met the Confederation of African Football's (CAF) October 20, 2024, deadline to submit documents supporting their claims in the dispute that led to their botched 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) qualifying match.

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and the Libya Football Federation (LFF) both confirmed their compliance with CAF’s disciplinary committee, established to investigate Nigeria’s formal complaint over the ordeal surrounding the match.

The conflict arose when the Nigerian team's flight, originally bound for Benghazi, was unexpectedly diverted to Al Abraq Airport. The return leg of the match was scheduled near Benghazi, adding further complexity to the issue.

LFF has distanced itself from responsibility, attributing the flight diversion to Libyan state authorities rather than the football federation. Nasser Al-Suwaire, the new Secretary-General of the LFF, emphasised that Libya's state sovereignty must be respected. "LFF did not divert the plane from landing in Benghazi, but it was the decision of the Libya state."

While apologising for the logistical failure that left the Super Eagles stranded for 18 hours, Libya requested leniency, explaining the situation as a "logistic problem."

Nigeria, before officially withdrawing from the match, filed a complaint with CAF, accusing Libyan authorities of unacceptable treatment, which CAF condemned as "despicable."

The controversy has continued to escalate, with both football federations presenting opposing narratives. LFF claimed the Nigerian government had apologised for the incident, but this was refuted by Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

In response to Libya’s claims, Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, issued a statement denying any apology had been made. The statement, signed by Alkasim Abdulkadir, the minister's Special Assistant on Media and Communication Strategy, read:

“The fake apology report was deliberately aimed at gaining political leverage and causing disaffection among continental football administrators and fans.”

Tuggar also expressed Nigeria’s "strong displeasure" over the incident and called on CAF’s Disciplinary Board to investigate and impose sanctions accordingly.

The Nigerian government continues to insist that the situation remains unresolved.

Tuggar narrated the steps taken to de-escalate the situation, including contacting Abdelhadi Lahweej, the Foreign Minister of Libya's Eastern Government, which eventually led to Libya releasing the aircraft.

Tuggar emphasised that no diplomatic headway was made during meetings with Libya's acting Charge d'affaires in Tripoli, Imad Aboud, who claimed the matter was under the jurisdiction of the Eastern Government.