AFCON qualifier: Analyst demands tough sanction against Libya

The scheduled 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, AFCON, qualifying match-day 4 necktie betwixt Nigeria’s Super Eagles and Libya’s Mediterranean Knights was connected Tuesday called off.

DAILY POST reports that the Super Eagles were scheduled to play Libya successful the 2025 AFCON qualifier astatine the Benina Martyrs Stadium successful Benghazi, Libya connected Tuesday.

The lucifer was expected to beryllium a instrumentality limb clash aft Nigeria defeated the North African state 1-0 astatine the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium successful Uyo past Friday.

However, players and officials of the Super Eagles were abandoned astatine the Al Abraq International Airport without food, h2o oregon Internet entree for implicit 15 hours aft arriving successful Libya connected Sunday.

Austin Eguavoen’s men yet near Libya connected Monday afternoon.

The Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, took the determination to propulsion the Super Eagles retired of the brushwood pursuing the inhumane attraction the players were subjected to successful Libya.

After the Super Eagles boycotted the lucifer against Libya, the Confederation of African Football, CAF, released a connection implicit the delaying of the Nigerian nationalist squad astatine the Al Abraq International Airport.

CAF referred the substance to their Disciplinary Board for probe and vowed to instrumentality due enactment against those who violated its ‘Statutes and Regulations.’

“The substance has been referred to the CAF Disciplinary Board for probe and due enactment volition beryllium taken against those who violated the CAF Statutes and Regulations,” CAF’s connection work successful part.

While welcoming the Super Eagles backmost location to Nigeria, President Bola Tinubu said the Libyan authorities wilfully violated the CAF’s Statutes and Regulations.

Tinubu reacted done a statement by his Special Adviser connected Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga connected Monday night.

“The President commends the proactive coordination betwixt the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Federal Ministry of Sports Development successful addressing the unfortunate occurrence and ensuring the harmless instrumentality of our players.

“President Tinubu applauds the players for keeping their tone live contempt the excruciating ordeal successful Libya.

“He fervently calls connected each lovers of the round-leather crippled and administrators to unite and enactment collaboratively to forestall and flooded specified incidents successful the future,” Onanuga noted successful the statement.

Speaking with DAILY POST, Saheed Afolabi, who works astatine Clear TV, gave his sentiment connected the development.

He said, “Well, honestly it is really a distressful experience.

“This is unfair, and this is not the archetypal clip that the North Africans volition beryllium doing this and I expect CAF to aftermath up from their slumber and contented a connection connected this.

“They should condemn the Libyans and good them. They should hole different venue for the game. If they privation to grant the 3 points to Libya good but they should cognize that if they bash that, they are mounting a antagonistic precedent for each different African countries due to the fact that if each different African countries sees that the Libyans get distant with this without immoderate punishment meted retired to them, past they would besides follow this benignant of precise weird and unsafe strategy to immoderate squad that are consenting to travel and play qualifying matches astatine their ain ground.

“It is precise disgraceful to maine and CAF needs to bash thing astir it.”

When asked what implications it would person connected the Libyan nationalist team, Afolabi added, “Well, the implications, I deliberation it would person connected the Mediterranean Knights, it sets a atrocious precedent honestly and it would let each different African countries to spot them arsenic a state that doesn’t privation to bash the close thing.

“In Nigeria, their formation was scheduled to onshore successful Uyo but they alternatively landed successful Port Harcourt.

“After landing successful Port Harcourt, contempt the abbreviated notice, the NFF made arrangements for a chartered formation to instrumentality them to Uyo but they didn’t privation to instrumentality it.

“The NFF again, made different statement for a good modular air-conditioned autobus to instrumentality them but they didn’t instrumentality it, they alternatively went to prosecute their ain buses.

“Still, the NFF made definite that information unit followed them. So they purposely went done these truthful that they tin besides mete retired antagonistic attraction to the Super Eagles and these things are not justified.

“When your big is giving you this antagonistic treatment, however bash you spot them with their food, h2o and everything? So what is the information and information of the players adjacent connected the transportation of play.

“So it is bully that the Super Eagles boycotted the game.”

“I expect CAF to instrumentality a superior basal connected this issue. They should contented a good oregon punishment to the Libyans.

“I deliberation that is the champion happening to do, if not these things volition proceed to happen. To debar specified things to hap again, past they request to bash the needful by giving retired a dense punishment.

“Ban them from utilizing their ain transportation for 2 years; aft 2 years, I americium precise definite that they would travel backmost to their close senses and bash the close thing,” Afolabi said.