Libya ready for action despite Nigeria's withdrawal from AFCON qualifier

• The Libyan Football Federation rejects excuses from Nigeria for boycotting the AFCON qualifier
• Libya claims Nigeria failed to cooperate for both the first and second legs of the qualifier
• Libya Football Federation (LFF)  threatens legal action to safeguard their team’s interests

The Libyan Football Federation (LFF) has issued a strong statement, declaring it will not tolerate any excuses from the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) to avoid playing the return leg of the 2025 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers. 

This stance follows the recent incident where the Super Eagles and their officials were stranded at Al Abaq Airport for over 16 hours. Despite the disruption, the Libyan team is pressing ahead with their preparations, insisting that “there is no room for excuses after the starting whistle.”

In a statement shared on social media today, October 15, the LFF condemned Nigeria's decision to pull out of the match and attached photos of its players actively training at the Martyrs of Benina Stadium, showing their readiness, 

“Photos from our national team’s training at the Martyrs of Benina International Stadium, in preparation for the match against Nigeria on Tuesday evening, as part of the fourth round of the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.

“Some may be used to putting up obstacles before the match, but here in the heart of Benghazi, specifically on the grounds of the Martyrs of Benina Stadium, there is no room for excuses after the starting whistle,” the LFF wrote, but they emphasised their readiness to still host the game.

The Libyan Federation accused the Nigerian Football Federation of failing to cooperate and causing confusion surrounding both the first and second legs of the AFCON qualifier. 

The LFF expressed frustration over the NFF’s “refusal to play the Libya-Nigeria match,” and warned that they would “take all legal measures” to defend their national team’s interests. 

They also pointed out that while they faced challenges in the first leg in Nigeria, they chose to play despite those difficulties.

The LFF further suggested that the Nigerian federation's actions were deliberate, aiming to derail the match and raise unnecessary hurdles.

Despite these challenges, Libya remains focused on moving forward, stating that their situation “cannot be compared to what the Libyan team experienced” in the previous match.

Former Super Eagles coach Peseiro shares why he didn't continue with Nigeria

Previously, TheRadar reported that former Super Eagles coach José Peseiro has finally revealed why he parted ways with Nigeria after leading the team to the 2023 AFCON final. 

His decision to step down, despite coming close to winning Africa's most prestigious football tournament, was long concluded even before the AFCON final match in Côte d’Ivoire.

Despite attempts from the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and the Sports Minister, John Enoh, to convince him to stay for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers and upcoming AFCON qualifiers, Peseiro felt he had reached his limit.