The President of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), Patrice Motsepe, has assured that appropriate measures will be taken following an investigation into the incident involving Nigeria’s national football team, the Super Eagles, at Al Abraq Airport in Libya.
This came after the Super Eagles accused Libyan authorities of deliberately diverting their flight and causing a 14-hour delay ahead of their 2025 AFCON qualifier against Libya, which led to the team refusing to play.
Addressing the situation at CAF’s General Assembly, Motsepe stressed that CAF will not tolerate such incidents, which have become a recurring issue for visiting teams.
He stressed the need for accountability and fair treatment in sports, promising that thorough investigations are ongoing.
He said: “When there was this problem of the Nigerian national team in Libya. I will not comment on that because there is a proper investigation [going on] but I want to emphasise the principle we will not tolerate. Because this is something that has been going on for quite some time. Forget about the Nigeria-Libya situation because it has been properly investigated and appropriate action will be taken.
“I have heard too many stories of a football club or a national team going to a country. You spend hours at the airport and they ask you about documents that is not meant to be accessed. And apparently during Covid, they will look at the 10 best players from your team and say those players have Covid. These are lack of sportsmanship that has existed and we have not taken effective action.”
CAF previously issued a statement confirming that the matter had been referred to its Disciplinary Board, with action to be taken against those violating CAF’s regulations.
