Amidst the ongoing maltreatment by Libyan authorities meted against Super Eagles players and officials who are in Libya for Nigeria’s second leg AFCON qualification match against Libya, the President of the Libyan Football Federation, Abdelhakim Al-Shalmani has announced his resignation from his position.
The embattled LFF President who made the announcement at the regular meeting of the Federation’s General Assembly, said: “I do not want to be part of the failure in Libyan sports.”
“We faced difficulties during the previous period. I thank all members of the General Assembly, and I forgive everyone from all segments of the sports sector”, he added at the meeting, which held on Sunday.
At the meeting, Al-Shalmani tried to defend his legacy at the helm of affairs in Libyan football since 2018. He said: “I have a history in the International, Arab and African Federation, and no one can deny that.”
Al-Shalmani, widely regarded as the worst president in the history of the federation, I’d stepping down just few days after Libya’s 1-0 loss to Nigeria in the first leg of the AFCON qualifier, which took place in Uyo, Nigeria. This dded to the pressure on his already embattled leadership.
It is unclear if his resignation has any connection to the manner the Libyan football federation and Libyan authorities in general have so far treated Nigerian Super Eagles players and officials whose flight was diverted to Al Abraq Airport, a deserted airport which is 3hrs drive from Benghazi, the supposed venue for match tomorrow.
The Super Eagles delegation have been stranded for hours with Captain Ekong announcing that the players have resolved not to go ahead with the match and called on NFF and the Nigerian government to evacuate them immediately.
Super Eagles striker, Victor Boniface in a post on his X handle revealed that last night, the Libyan authorities sent some buses to convey the Super Eagles delegation to their destination but that the players refused to board the buses.
The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) on its part has said it is making plans to fly the team back home.
“Players have resolved not to play the match any longer, and NFF officials are making plans to fly the team back home,” the NFF said in a statement.
African football governing body, CAF however has yet to release any official statement about the situation in Libya.
