SPORT is supposed to build friendships between people. But not always. Sparks are flying between Nigeria and Libya after the Nigerian national team, Super Eagles abandoned the AFCON qualifiers’ tournament after they were stranded at a Libyan airport for 24 hours without food or water.
The Super Eagles were in Libya for their Group A appointment with the Libya national team, Mediterranean Knights.
The Nigerians eventually flew back home without playing.
Allegations and counter allegations are now flying between the two countries. The Nigerians are charging that they were held hostage by Libyan authorities at the airport for a whole day.
But the Libyans say it’s tit-for-tat; and that the Nigerians are having a taste of their own medicine after they too maltreated the Mediterranean Knights in Nigeria last week.
But relations between Libya and Nigerian clubs go back in time. This is apparently not the first time Nigeria suffers in Libya. The Nigerian club, Enyimba Players is also said to have slept at an airport in Libya for 24 hours after their opponents changed the venue without communication in 2022.
In the middle of the current debacle, Libyan Football Federation’s President, Abdelhakim Al-Shalmani has resigned. He says he doesn’t want to be part of the failure of Libyan sports as witnessed last Sunday.
The tensions in sport has now spilled over into a diplomatic row between the two African Union member countries. The Nigerian Government has summoned the Libyan ambassador to explain the maltreatment of Nigerian Players.
Meanwhile, the Libyan Football Federation says it will take legal action against the Nigerian team for pulling out of their game.
The incident rubs some chilli onto the open sores of perceptions of Africa-Arab relations in Africa.
“I will tell you the truth, the recent maltreatment of the Nigerian Super Eagles in Libya probes deeper issues between Africans and Arabs in North Africa. This isn’t the first time we’ve seen such tensions—Gaddafi’s Libya had a history of complex relations with sub-Saharan Africa. What happened with the Super Eagles is a reminder that despite the push for unity, many Africans still face disrespect and mistreatment in Arab-majority countries. From the Libyan slave trade (2017), xenophobia in Tunisia (2023), and racial violence in Darfur, to abuse of migrants in Morocco and Algeria, and exploitation of Ethiopian domestic workers in the Middle East—these instances reveal deep-rooted racial discrimination that persists. It’s time we confront these issues and push for real solidarity across the continent,” weighed in a commentator identifying as Afrokonnect.
jm/today/14.10.2024
