In what has now gone down in Nigerian football lexicon as the Libyan ordeal, the Super Eagles on their way to a matchday 4 2025 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) game in Libya saw their flight diverted mid-air from Benghazi international Airport to the not so discreet Al -Abraq International Airport where the Nigerian contingent was put under lock and key for over 15 hours.

After fruitless efforts to see the hostile Libyans to see reason that it was just a football match as the Nigerian contingent was taken hostage in Al-Abraq, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) was forced to beat a retreat after reaching out to the confederation of African Football (CAF) consequently the October 15th match between the Mediterranean Knights and the Super Eagles initially fixed for Benina was called off.

The matter was swiftly laid before the Disciplinary Board of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) who justifiably ruled in favour of Nigeria. Apart from awarding Nigeria three points and three goals, the Libya Football Federation (LFF) was ordered to pay a fine of $50,000 USD.

For many Nigerians including former internationals, justice has been well served by the Confederation of African Football over the disputed ill-fated 2025 AFCON match between Libya and Nigeria. They have equally enjoined the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF)) and indeed Nigerian clubs playing in continental football competitions to take useful lessons from the unfortunate Libyan ordeal so that Nigeria is not also found wanting of such infamous shenanigans in the future.

Former Super Eagles attacker, Edema Fuludu has expressed his admiration with the verdict from the Confederation of African Football (CAF) on the October botched Libya versus Nigeria 2025 African Cup of Nations Qualifier.

Fuludu, a former Chairman, Delta State Football Association said CAF has set a fairly good precedent with the punishment meted out to the Libyans for what he described as ‘callous and barbaric act’ towards the Super Eagles contingent, adding African countries will now behave better and try to be good hosts to their guests.

The Nigeria Premier Football League Match Commissioner of repute enjoined Africans to see those sports especially football continues to be focal point for social cohesion, respect for human dignity and the platform for creating hope and happiness.

He noted that African countries must learn to be good hosts and that football federations and other officials of each nation must embrace the spirit of sportsmanship and not throw caution to the wind with underhand tactics that may later backfire as experienced by the Libyans.

“The lesson for African countries and not just the Libya Football Federation (LFF) I believe is to understand that sports especially football is a rallying point for social cohesion, respect for human dignity and platform for creating hope and happiness inherent in our existence,” Fuludu told NationSport. “Therefore, once you have signed as a nation to participate in a football tournament you are subject to the rules and regulations guiding the tournament or competition including the hospitality part of protecting human dignity and respect without bias of colour, race or nationality.”

In that respect, Fuludu advised the NFF to continue to train and re-train their staff to continue to uphold fair play, camaraderie and brotherliness in treatment of visiting guests or opponents to ensure we maintain and even improve our good disposition to them whenever they visit Nigeria.

“Therefore, the NFF should never been found wanting and should continue to train staff while reiterating the concept of fair play and fair treatment to all especially the opponents/guests,” Fuludu further counselled.

“What happened in Libya has put the Libyan government and people in very bad light on the comity of nations.

“Kudos to CAF for taking a decisive action to serve as a deterrent to others who may inadvertently think such obnoxious behaviour is normal.”

Veteran football manager, Mike Idoko who has led teams including Sunshine Stars of Akure and Lobi Stars of Makurdi equally advised that the NFF as well as Nigerian clubs travelling for away matches across the continent especially to the Northern Africa must be wary of what lies ahead of them, adding early and well-planned travel routines can be of great deal.

“Anybody who has travelled for matches in North Africa especially will know that they can do anything just to destabilize visiting teams, “Idoko told NationSports

“But the NFF and our clubs going to play on the continent must plan well ahead of time and in so doing, they must be in constant touch with our embassy in such particular countries.

“Of course, they are always volatile, I mean in the northern part of Africa because they see football more than religion and because they want to recoup their investments, they don’t care about doing anything just to win matches.

“What the Libyans did to the Super Eagles was not a good advertisement for African football but many Nigerian clubs have suffered much in varying degrees when they visit North Africa for continental cup matches.

“I hope what CAF has done would serve as detriment to such unsporting conduct by any country in the future,” he surmised.

Erstwhile BCC Lions star player, Bolaji Douglas, on his part hopes the punishment given to the Libyans would mark a paradigm shift from lack of sportsmanship on the continent especially in North African soccer cities.

Douglas, the former Nigeria international, praised CAF for the way its Disciplinary Committee dealt decisively with the matter to the erring Libyans in order to serve as deterrent to other nations with such barbaric tendencies.

“There will always be lessons to be learnt from the Libyan ordeal,” he said. “To start with, this won’t be the first but hopefully with the way CAF has decisively dealt with the issue, this will be the beginning of the end if not the end to such dark arts in the game.

“On lessons to be learnt, I will say kudos to the NFF with the way they handled the issue not leaving their flanks open to exploitation by the shenanigans of the Libyans, by sticking to the rules to the last minute. I think refusing to play the game after making sure all protocols had been observed and returning home was the game changer.”

Douglas added that the Libyan ordeal must have toughened in all ramifications some Super Eagles players who were not used to the shenanigans and politicking in African football, adding they will now be battle ready for any eventuality when travelling across Africa as it may not be smooth sailing at all times unlike where they grew up.

Meanwhile, Douglas has appealed to the NFF to ensure they do not give room for visiting teams to make valid complaints and that its staff must be accommodating and ready to render assistance to our visitors to maintain Nigeria’s friendly dispositions in the comity of nations.

“If there are any lessons, I think it will be the experience the new players who are not used to African football got from their travails in Libya. They now know that to succeed with Super Eagles, they must be tough mentally, not expecting everything to be as smooth as they have it back in Europe,” Douglas stated.

“On the part of the administrators of the game, I think more efforts should be put in to ensure that even if we are not at fault for any inconvenience which our guest may encounter due to logistics issues, nevertheless we must endeavour to make sure they do not depart with bitterness.

“While we may not be able to influence what they would do, at least it would be documented that we did our very best.

“We live in a world of data and information, having those vital tools on our side is the way forward.”

Similarly, former Super Eagles utility player Garba Lawal said that the lessons to be learnt cut across the entire continent and not for Nigeria and Libya alone.

Lawal reasoned that the Libyans delegation to Nigeria must have deceived their governmental authority into behave rashly the way they did based on the reports they brought back home after their experience in Uyo before, during and after the 2025 AFCON Qualifier which they lost 1-0 to the Super Eagles.

The Atlanta 1996 Olympic soccer gold medallist among other accolades, admonished African football federations to teach their staff the essence of fair play and being good host when you are opportune to host games and not try to use unfair advantage over your guests.

“This is not about NFF or LFF alone it’s all about African football as a whole,” begin the former mercurial midfielder.

“I believe the Libyan government got carried away based on the lies their delegation to Nigeria fed them with and they acted based on the reports they gave them because the order from the authority to divert the plane that was about to touch down in Benghazi to Al Abraq was questionable.

“I hope we all learn from this grave mistake from Libya. Football is fair play, so the reception must be 100 percent okay right from the team arrival until after the game and the departure,” noted the former Esperance of Tunisia and Roda JC midfielder.