The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has officially canceled the second leg of the Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025 qualifier between Nigeria’s Super Eagles and Libya, which was originally scheduled for Tuesday.
CAF announced the fixture’s cancellation after Nigeria refused to participate, citing what they described as mistreatment during their stay in Libya. In a brief statement released on Tuesday, CAF confirmed the match would not proceed as planned, stating, “The TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025 qualifier between Libya and Nigeria will not take place as scheduled tonight. The matter will be referred to the competent CAF bodies.”
The Super Eagles’ withdrawal came after they were stranded for over 13 hours at Al Abraq Airport in Libya on Sunday, with the team accusing Libyan authorities of providing inadequate hospitality and raising concerns over their safety and well-being.
The situation has further strained relations between the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) and the Libyan Football Federation (LFF), with both parties trading accusations. CAF has launched an investigation into the matter in response to the controversy.
In a statement issued late Monday, the LFF condemned Nigeria’s refusal to play, accusing the NFF of uncooperativeness and blaming communication and logistical issues for the fallout. The Libyan federation also threatened legal action against Nigeria for withdrawing from the match, asserting that they had fulfilled their obligations.
The LFF’s statement criticized Nigeria for not acting in good faith and claimed that the NFF had failed to cooperate in organizing the fixture.
With the match now canceled, CAF will review the situation and decide on any necessary actions, including awarding points, penalties, and other consequences related to the 2025 AFCON qualifiers.
