Hostile hosts in African football: The Nigeria versus Libya scandal

Growing discussions around unethical host practices during AFCON events.

Originally published on Global Voices

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) announced its decision on the controversial match between Libya and Nigeria on Saturday, October 26th. As reported by ESPN Africa, the match was declared lost by forfeit by Libya (by a score of 3–0), with the Libyan Football Federation (LFF) ordered to pay a fine of USD 50,000 within 60 days of notification of the decision:

CAF has announced a $50,000 fine for Libya and awarded Nigeria a 3-0 victory along with three points after the Super Eagles were stranded at a Libyan airport for over 12 hours without food or drink before an AFCON qualifier earlier this month. pic.twitter.com/KJCwGN8tmL

— ESPN Africa (@ESPNAfrica) October 26, 2024

The aforementioned match was a Group D qualifying match in the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON). The game never took place after Nigeria's plane was diverted and stranded on an airport runway for 16 hours, leading to accusations of sabotage and foul play.

Backstory

On October 15, 2024, the Nigerian team (nicknamed the Super Eagles) was en route to Libya for the second leg of the AFCON qualifiers. They were scheduled to land in Benghazi but were redirected mid-flight to Bayda, approximately 250 kilometers (135 miles) from their intended destination.

The Tunisian pilot who flew the Super Eagles to Libya explained in a video posted on X that the Libyan authorities ordered a last-minute diversion of the flight to Al-Abraq airport instead of the planned destination, Benghazi.

While there, the Nigeria Football Federation reported that the Nigeria teams were stranded at the remote Al-Abraq airport on the outskirts of Benghazi, where they had no access to food or water and had no contact with the Libyan officials for over 16 hours. The Nigerian team proceeded to boycott the match, citing safety concerns, and they flew back to Nigeria instead of continuing with the game.

Among the Super Eagles team representing Nigeria in Libya were Ademola Lookman, who scored a hat trick for Atalanta in the Europa League final last season and who was on the 2024 Ballon d'Or shortlist, and Leicester City midfielder Wilfred Ndidi. 

In response to this incident, LFF said their actions were not deliberate but alleged that the Libyan national team had suffered the same fate four days earlier at a match in Uyo, Nigeria. They claimed Nigerian authorities had left them stranded at the Port Harcourt Airport. Nigeria won the match on October 11.

Libya has also threatened Nigeria with legal action for withdrawing from the match.

A day after this botched encounter, CAF delisted the game from its calendar and announced its cancellation hours before kick-off. The matter was referred to the disciplinary committee for consideration. The CAF probe found Libya guilty of breaching competition rules, which mandate visiting teams to be rightly received by their host association.

In its ruling on October 26th, signed by chairman Ousmane Kane, the disciplinary board determined that the Libyan Football Federation (LFF) was in breach of Article 31 of the Africa Cup of Nations Regulations and Articles 82 and 151 of the CAF Disciplinary Code. This led to CAF awarding Nigeria the match with a 3–0 score and fining Libya USD 50,000.

Following the verdict, Troost-Ekong, captain of the Nigerian team, praised the CAF's choice in a post on X (formerly Twitter).

JUSTICE: CAF awards three points and three goals to Nigeria. Libya fined $50,000.

Plane was diverted 300km from scheduled airport even when the pilot told them he was low on fuel.

One step closer to our target AFCON 2025

— William Troost-Ekong (M.O.N) (@WTroostEkong) October 26, 2024

As a result of this decision, the Super Eagles have tallied 10 points from four matches, four points ahead of the second-placed Benin Republic, while Rwanda has five points. Libya has only one point and is out of the running for qualification.

AFCON and its importance to Africans

The Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), hosted by the Confederation of African Football (CAF), is Africa’s biggest football festival, captivating millions across the continent and beyond. With up to USD 7 million in prize money and a staggering global viewership of up to 2 billion in the 2023 tournament, AFCON has become one of the most anticipated sporting events in Africa.

Held every two years, AFCON brings together fans from all corners of Africa, celebrating the continent’s top football talents on an international stage. Since it was first held in 1957, the tournament has become a symbol of African unity and competitiveness, drawing both seasoned football lovers and casual fans alike.

However, in recent years, TotalEnergies, the headline sponsor of the AFCON tournament, has faced criticism for using sportwashing tactics to obscure its exploitation of African resources and contributing to climate challenges on the continent. These controversies have unfolded alongside growing discussions around unethical host practices during AFCON events. 

Hostile host tactics in African football

According to CAF President Patrice Motsepe, speaking at the 46th Ordinary Assembly in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, several visiting teams have been subjected to inhumane treatment. For example, during the 2021 AFCON qualifiers, Benin refused to play a decisive African Cup of Nations qualifying game in Sierra Leone after disputing that five of its players had tested positive for COVID-19 just before kickoff.

“Apparently, during COVID, they would look at who the best players are from your team and say those 10 players have COVID-19. You tell them that you have just been tested, and they say no, you have COVID,” Motsepe explained on his YouTube channel.

He urged nations on the continent to treat visiting teams with respect and dignity. 

“So, I just want to repeat, we are proud of those nations that treat visiting teams and football clubs with the respect and dignity that they deserve,” he added.

As reported by the New Telegraph website, other unethical practices that visiting teams have faced include substandard accommodation and facilities, travel logistics issues, intimidation from fans, poor pitch conditions, refereeing bias, deliberate delays during matches, schedule manipulation, psychological warfare, and security negligence.

Rev Matthew S.J in this article writes about the implication of football sabotage for the CAF and the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).

It remains to be seen whether CAF will tighten its rules and regulations moving forward to deter bad treatment of visiting teams and maintain the sportsmanship of the competition on the continent.

Written by Adesewa Olofinko