AFCONq: NFF denies Libya’s poor treatment claims, accuses LFF of disorganization

By Oyediji Oluwaseun Babatunde

Ahead of the highly anticipated 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) Qualifiers between Nigeria’s senior men’s national team and Libya on Friday, October 11, 2024, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has firmly rejected and debunked claims of poor treatment leveled by Libyan captain Faisal Al-Badri upon arrival in Nigeria.

In a statement issued by the NFF’s Communication Department, the federation accused the Libyan Football Federation (LFF) of causing confusion and disorganization regarding their team’s arrival logistics, which disrupted the planned arrangements for their stay in Nigeria.

According to Mr. Emmanuel Ayanbunmi, NFF Assistant Director (Protocol), the Libyan delegation informed the NFF only a few hours before their scheduled arrival that they would be landing in Port Harcourt rather than Uyo, the designated venue for the match. This last-minute change, Ayanbunmi said, created significant logistical challenges for the NFF, which had been expecting the team in Uyo.

“I had a lengthy conversation with the General Secretary of the Libyan Football Federation (LFF) on Monday, October 7,” Ayanbunmi explained.

“At no point did he indicate that the team would be arriving the following day, and he promised to revert to me but never did. It was only on the evening of Monday that we were informed by an advance party member of the LFF that their team would be landing on Tuesday by noon. We had made all the necessary arrangements to receive them in Uyo.”

The situation became more chaotic, Ayanbunmi continued, when just an hour after the Libyan team had already taken off, the NFF was informed that they would instead land in Port Harcourt.

This unexpected change forced the NFF to make last-minute arrangements to fly the team to Uyo after completing immigration formalities in Port Harcourt, which added additional costs and complications for the Libyan Football Federation.

“They didn’t want to incur the additional costs of using the charter company to fly from Port Harcourt to Uyo, so they opted for road transportation instead,” Ayanbunmi added.

Despite the NFF making road transportation arrangements for the team, the Libyan delegation chose to hire their own buses.

“If the buses they chose were not air-conditioned or lacked adequate facilities, it is not the NFF’s responsibility, as they made those arrangements themselves,” he continued.

“We had provided full security, with personnel and vehicles accompanying them, both in front and behind their buses. Therefore, we remain unfazed by their complaints and threats,” Ayanbunmi concluded.

The much-anticipated Matchday 3 of the 2025 AFCON Qualifiers between Nigeria and Libya is set to take place on Friday, October 11, 2024, in Uyo.

Despite the logistical hiccups, the NFF remains focused on ensuring the smooth organization of the match and the overall success of the qualifiers.