Nigeria vs Libya: Can CAF Be Trusted To Do It Right?
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The Confederation of African Football (CAF), has positioned itself to be a merchant establishment; it has an uncanny reputation for indulging its generous associates and their allies.
An unsavory exposé but the bitter truth that most within and outside the hallowed CAF HQ in Cairo, are all too familiar with.
This is why one can only passively anticipate the verdict of its Disciplinary committee on the shameful scenes from the 12-hour horror show victimizing International players on foreign soil.
Super Eagles were diverted to Al Abaq albeit their Flight was supposed to land in Benghazi.
The merits of Nigeria’s case, which should bother on hostile environment, negligence and the premeditated hostage situation inside the now infamous Al Abraq Airport, are pristine.
However, Lady justice isn’t blind with CAF, and Nigeria’s petition might not hold because the apex football body in Africa has a precedence of preferring anything but the straight path.
For as many official reports – of teams and individual players with grievances against, particularly, hostile North African opponents or employers – CAF has left many stunned with no landmark verdicts.
This body has presented itself before the court of public opinion as a spineless organization and one that sides with policies and interests which aligns with its own for the moment.
Without any doubt, this case like any other under true jurisprudence, should permit the embittered Libyans to air their grievance.
Libya also has evidence of players left stranded at the airport, encumbered with overbearing Law enforcement officers, extortion and possible theft.
Those claims aren’t fabricated, but beyond sympathy and discontent, a graver situation transpired that required diplomatic moves at the highest levels of government for a resolution.
If there’s any sanity left in the game then perhaps the opening remarks of CAF’s verdict should strongly condemn whatever the separatist government of Libya perpetrated.
CAF should further mop up its internal processes, where no international team is having to answer to more than one constituted authority in a foreign Country.
Fans were denied a potentially good game and Nigeria’s swift qualification for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations suffers a set back.
That setback includes the NFF’s immediate plans for the Super Eagles, that would have ensured better coordination of other important matters i.e the head coach role, managing scarce funds and so on.
Celebrations! William Troost-Ekong joins Fisayo Dele-Bashiru in jubilation after the latter’s goal in the AFCON 2025 Qualifying match between Nigeria and Libya. Photo | X
Conclusively, the begging question is, if one is hopeful of a sensible verdict? Truly, it is not a given.
But is there a likelihood that CAF wants to step up from paying lip service to sanitizing the game, and actually doing something about it? Time shall surely tell.
