Mohammed Shosanya

The Confederation of African Football (CAF),Saturday awarded three points, and three goals to Nigeria for the missed Libya game in the Africa Cup of Nations qualifier.

The Super Eagles and Libya were earlier scheduled to clash at the Martyrs of February Stadium in Benina, Benghazi on October 15, in matchday four of the AFCON qualification series.

The Nigerian national team’s flight landed at Al Abaq airport,however the players and coaches were held for over 20 hours without food and drinks.

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), later announced the Super Eagles’ withdrawal from the qualifying match and compelled them to return home.

The President of CAF, Patrice Motsepe, had said a thorough probe was ongoing sequel to the recent controversy surrounding Nigeria’s Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Libya.

According to him,the continental body would not tolerate any lack of sportsmanship and unfair treatment in African football.

A statement  released on Saturday and signed by CAF’s Chairperson of CAF Disciplinary Board, Ousmane Kane said the decision to award Nigeria the points was taken after findings by the disciplinary committee it set up to investigate the matter, found Libya guilty of the inhumane treatment meted out to the Nigerian senior football team.

The Disciplinary Board of the Confederation of African Football also fined the Libyan Football Federation for the Super Eagles’ predicament. 

The 5-man disciplinary committee comprises Mr. Ousmane Kane (Senegal) Chairperson, Ms. Njeri Onyango (Kenya) Vice-Chairperson, Mr. Felix Golbassia (Tchad) member, Mr. Patrick Shale (Lesotho) Member, and Mr. Norman Arendse (South Africa) member.

According to the body,“The Libya Football Federation is found to have breached Article 31 of the African, Cup of Nations Regulations as well as Articles 82 and 151 of the CAF Disciplinary Code, and that the match No.87 Libya v. Nigeria of the CAF African Cup of Nations Qualifiers 2025 (scheduled to be played on 15 October 2024 in Benghazi) is declared lost by forfeit by Libya (by a score of 3-0).”

The body also ordered the Libya Football Federation to pay a fine of USD 50,000 within 60 days of notification of the current decision.

Mohammed Shosanya

The  Libya Football Federation (LFF),says it will take legal action against Nigeria over the  botched second leg of the  2025 African Cup of Nations qualifying match,which was earlier billed to take place in the North Africa country on Tuesday.

The Libyan national team is taking the legal action in order to preserve its right, it said in a statement on Monday.

The Nigerian National Team had boycotted the return leg of the qualifying match on Monday,citing ill-treatmennt on the part of the Libyans on their airport.

Following a frustrating 12-hour ordeal at Al Abraq International Airport in Libya, where the Nigerian team was left stranded since their arrival on Sunday afternoon, condemnation has trailed the action of the host country.

While the Nigerian national team complained of fatigue and frustration, deprived of water and food, the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF)  confirmed the team’s backing out of the qualifying series.

The Super Eagles beat the Libyan team 1-0 on Friday at Uyo, Akwa Ibom but was expected to play a return leg match in Benghazi on Tuesday in the ongoing African Cup of Nations qualifying series.

The Nigerian team had since returned home.

But the Libyan National Team condemned the action of the Nigerian National action not to play the game tomorrow .

It denounced the inappropriate behavior of the delegation which almost prevented the Libyan delegation from playing the game last Friday, which is a violation to CAF rule.

It added:”⁠The LFF emphasized that the NFF did not cooperate regarding the match in Nigeria as they did not receive equal treatment meted to other countries, and as stipulated in regulations – resulting to them not having a fair and equal opportunity.

⁠The LFF apologizes to Libyan fans and followers and affirms that the NFF will bear full responsibility for failure to hold the match as scheduled”.

Mohammed Shosanya

President of the Libyan Football Federation, Abdelhakim Al-Shalmani,has resigned.

His resignation was in connection with a controversy involving the Super Eagles of Nigeria, who accused the Libyan football authorities of mistreatment,The Libya Observer,said.

His resignation was disclosed during the Federation’s General Assembly meeting on Sunday, the paper said.

He said: “I no longer wish to be associated with the failure of Libyan sports. I extend my gratitude to all members of the General Assembly and hold no grudges against anyone in the sports sector.”

He spoke on the challenges faced during his tenure.

“We faced difficulties during the previous period.  thank all members of the General Assembly, and I forgive everyone from all segments of the sports sector,” he added.

Nigerian Sports Minister, John Enoh said he has escalated the ill-treatment meted out to the Super Eagles by the Libyan authorities since they landed at the Al Abaq Airport on Sunday, to all concerned authorities,including the Conferedeation of African Football. 

A statement by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) Communications Department on Monday,said the team were left unattended to at the Al Abraq Airport.

The Eagles left for Libya on Sunday morning, ahead of their 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying matchday 4 clash against the Mediterranean Knights.

Libya was to host the three-time African champions at the 10,000-capacity Martyrs of Benina Stadium in Benina, located just 10 kilometres from Benghazi, but reports emerged that they were diverted to another city.

Speaking on the development,Enoh said he had reported the incident to all necessary authorities.

He also said the attention at the moment was the safety of the senior men’s team.

He described the current situation of the Super Eagles as an ‘almost hostage’ situation.

“I strongly condemn the obnoxious treatment meted out to players and officials of the Senior National Team, the Super Eagles who arrived Libya, yesterday the 13th of October for the reverse version of the match played on Friday in Uyo, the AFCON 2025 Group D qualifiers.

“The National Team was en route Benghazi but was diverted on approach the airport(with very scant attention to their safety), to Al Abaq Airport, which is hours away from Benghazi, where their match is slated to take place.

“All through the night, I have escalated the matter and involved all necessary authorities. From the Foreign Affairs Minister, the National Security Advicer, the DG NIA, Amaju Pinnick, our CAF Executive member.I have also remained in touch with both the president of the NFF, who is on ground with the team and the Chairman of Value Jet, owners of the plane that airlifted the team to Libya.

“All hands must be on deck to protect our National Team. The Team have succinctly stated that they have been unattended to for upwards of about 15 hrs since arrival, with no food, no accommodation, left in a mosquito-infested environment and cordoned off by Libyan security not to step out of the airport and they have access to nothing.

“To say the least, they face an almost ‘hostage’ situation. These are sportsmen set to compete in an AFCON qualifying match come Tuesday!

“For now, our primary concern is the safety of the members of our national team. With the events of the past hours, their safety is not guaranteed and the team insists they’re unable to go ahead with the match not just because of the trauma and consequent psychological torture but also because of fear for their safety.

“As Sports Minister, I have instructed the NFF president to lay a formal complaint to CAF without prejudice to any actions already taken. This must be on record and thoroughly addressed. This morning i was on a conference call with CAF President and CAF Secretary General.

“While the CAF President’s concern seems to be what to do to get the national team participate in tomorrow’s match, I have instead informed CAF that the concern of the Government and people of Nigeria is first, the safety of the team and their safe return, urging that CAF should focus on working with us to achieve this.

“There must be a serious adverse conseqùence to the Libyan football federation for this unspeakable behaviour.

“This can not be through insisting that Nigeria still takes part in this match given the very obvious situation.I strongly condemn the obnoxious treatment meted out to players and officials of the Senior National Team, the Super Eagles who arrived Libya, yesterday the 13th of October for the reverse version of the match played on Friday in Uyo, the AFCON 2025 Group D qualifiers.

“The National Team was en route Benghazi but was diverted on approach the airport(with very scant attention to their safety), to Al Abaq Airport, which is hours away from Benghazi, where their match is slated to take place.

“All through the night, I have escalated the matter and involved all necessary authorities. From the Foreign Affairs Minister, the National Security Adviser, the DG NIA, Amaju Pinnick, our CAF Executive member.

“I have also remained in touch with both the president of the NFF, who is on the ground with the team and the Chairman of Value Jet, owners of the plane that airlifted the team to Libya. All hands must be on deck to protect our National Team.

“The Team have succinctly stated that they have been unattended to for upwards of about 15 hrs since arrival, with no food, no accommodation, left in a mosquito-infested environment and cordoned off by Libyan security not to step out of the airport and they have access to nothing.

“To say the least, they face an almost ‘hostage’ situation. These are sportsmen set to compete in an AFCON qualifying match come Tuesday! For now, our primary concern is the safety of the members of our national team”.

Mohammed Shosanya

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF),has withdrawn the Super Eagles from Tuesday’s 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier against Libya,after a harrowing 12-hour ordeal at Al Abraq International Airport in Libya.

The Nigerian delegation, which arrived on Sunday,faced a frustrating delay when their chartered aircraft was abruptly diverted mid-flight from Benghazi to Al Abraq, a small airport mainly used for hajj operations.

The diversion left players and officials stranded without any support from the Libyan Football Federation, which failed to provide transportation or any form of assistance.

In a statement on Monday,the NFF detailed the chaotic situation, revealing that the team remained stuck at the airport for more than 12 hours, unable to proceed to their hotel in Benghazi, which is a three-hour drive away.

“The Super Eagles have been at Al Abraq Airport for over 12 hours since landing in Libya,” the NFF statement read.

“The aircraft was dangerously diverted from Benghazi just as the pilot was preparing to land.

The players and officials are fatigued, and there was no reception or transportation provided by the hosts.”

Team captain William Troost-Ekong, expressed concerns over safety,stated that the players were not willing to undertake the three-hour road journey to Benina, where the match was to be played.

“Let them have the points. We will not travel by road here, even with security; it’s not safe. We can only imagine the conditions at the hotel or the quality of the food if we proceeded,” he posted on social media platform X.

The NFF is now making arrangements to fly the team back to Nigeria, as the Super Eagles stand firm in their decision not to participate in the match.

Libyan officials, meanwhile,had earlier claimed that their team experienced subpar treatment during their visit to Nigeria for the first leg of the qualifier in Uyo, which Nigeria won 1-0.

Mohammed Shosanya

Former Nigeria Green Eagles goal keeper Peter Fregene,is dead.

Ex-international and his close friend,Segun Odegbami,confirmed the death of Fregene on Sunday.

According to him,the Nigerian football icon died after a prolonged illness,with his wife Tina and two of his children by his side.

“Just a few minutes ago,Peter ‘Apo’ Fregene, OLY, former goalkeeper for Nigeria’s Green Eagles, who had been on life support for the past week, passed on to meet his creator.

“He passed peacefully in the presence of two of his children and his devoted wife, Tina,” Odegbami added.

Fregene,who represented Nigeria at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico and was a prominent figure in the national team throughout the 1960s and 70s, was celebrated for his remarkable reflexes and resilience as a goalkeeper.

Odegbami also expressed gratitude to those who supported the football icon during his illness.

“On behalf of all generations of Nigerian footballers, Olympians, sportspeople, his family, friends, fans, and the incredible Nigerians who quietly rallied around with their support, prayers, and the will of the creator, I say a big ‘thank you,’” Odegbami stated.

Peter Fregene, born in Sapele, Delta State, Nigeria, played for two football clubs during his career.

He represented Stationery Stores FC and ECN, both Lagos State-based clubs. Fregene won the FA Cup trophy with both teams, despite being rivals.

He was one of the foremost players of the Federation Cup, formerly known as the Challenge Cup, during his playing days for Stationery Stores and ECN.

He was part of the 13 former stars of the Federation Cup players Lagos state government honoured in 2014.

He represented the Green Eagles, now the Super Eagles, in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s.

Despite playing for just two professional clubs, Fregene remains one of Nigeria’s longest-serving players, playing for the three-time African champions between the 160s to 80s Fregene was part of Nigeria’s squad between 1966 to 1983.

Fregene was Nigeria’s number one shot-stopper between 1968-1971.

He represented Nigeria at the 1968 Olympics, playing in the country’s three games. However, Fregene failed to keep a clean sheet in any of the games, conceding nine goals as Nigeria left with just a point which came in a 3-3 draw against Brazil.

He was also in goal for Nigeria’s World Cup qualifying campaign between 1968 and 1969, keeping one clean sheet in eight matches.

He lost his number one spot after 1971, but he was back in goal at the 1982 Africa Cup of Nations, two years after the country won its first African title. The 77-year-old kept a clean sheet as Nigeria won one and lost two of their matches.

Mohammed Shosanya

Former Nigeria’s goalkeeper, Dosu Joseph,has survived another life-threatening automobile accident on Wednesday at Kara, along the Lagos-Ibadan Express Way, where a heavy-duty truck ran into his SUV, Punch reports

He broke the news in a statement on his social media handles on Friday.

The 51-year-old,guided Nigeria to gold in the Men’s Football Tournament of the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.

“To God be the glory, another death escaped by Grace and Mercy of God. Me and my friend SM were at Enyo Filling Station after Ojodu Berger bus stop to get fuel on Wednesday, October 2, 2024, around 6 p.m. when this MACK truck fully loaded with iron, with registration number LND 470 XX, left the road and crushed my car beyond repairs. Thank God for life,” he stated.

According to him, the owner of the truck says he can’t fix the badly damaged SUV until after a year.

This is the second time the soft-spoken club proprietor will cheat death by a whisker, having been involved in an accident in 1997 that ended his career at 23 and left his spinal cord in bad shape.

He helped Julius Berger win the Nigeria FA Cup in November 1997 shortly a memorable Olympic outing by keeping a clean sheet in the finals against Katsina United. The following year, he was involved in the auto along Ikorodu Road, Lagos, which not only cut his career short but also left him almost paralysed, ending his spell at Serie A club Reggiana.

The former Nigeria international,who also kept the goal for Julius Berger FC, said the case has been reported to Isheri Police Station, Ogun State, where the driver is currently detained and the truck also seized.