The Botched Libya vs Nigeria Second Leg AFCON 2025 Qualifiers

Libya FA is playing a hardball.

First, they now say they will sue NFF for Super Eagles refusal to play the AFCON qualifiers return leg match.

Second, they want CAF to award maximum three points to them and sanction NFF

Third, they claim they suffered worse treatment than they meted out to our boys, but still honoured the first leg match at Uyo

And now one of Libya’s two foreign ministers has claimed that our own foreign minister, Yusuf Tuggar, has apologised to the Libyan government for what their national team suffered in Nigeria.

All things considered; what Libyan FA did to our players was supported by their government. The question now is which of the two governments? There are two governments in Libya. Apparently, it is the illegal renegade government which controls the region the Super Eagles chartered aircraft was forced to land.

Whichever, I suggest Nigeria must now disregard whatever decision CAF might come out with. CAF is culpable in this matter. Why approve international matches to be played in an unstable country? A country that has two governments – one internationally recognised, the other not recognised and controlled by a warlord? CAF should never have considered such a country to host international matches.

But now this unfortunate incident has happened, we must now take effective action, make a loud statement that in Africa we are No. 1 and nobody dare toil with us.

Yes, we must now elevate this thing to diplomatic face-off. We must recall our Ambassador to Libya and expel their own Ambassador to Nigeria. We must demand from Libya an apology and a guarantee of non-aggressive action, henceforth, against Nigeria and Nigerian nationals.

There is a good reason to take this step. For the safety of Nigerians and their businesses in Libya, especially those trying to cross the Mediterranean.

I repeat, our government must use this incident to make a loud statement that there are consequences to maltreating Nigerians in Africa.