By Kayode John
Confederation of African Football (CAF) President Dr Patrice Motsepe has given an assurance that the body is looking thoroughly into the treatment of the Super Eagles team in Libya last week and will take action soon.
The Nigerian contigent had flown to the North African country for the return leg of the matchday 3 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, but were subjected to inhumane treatment by the Libyan authorities over claims that their players were also mistreated in Nigeria in the first leg days earlier.
The plane conveying the Nigerian contingent was first diverted from Benghazi, venue of the second leg and where the flight was originally cleared to land, to Al Abraq Airport, which is three hours away from Benghazi.
The team was delayed at the facility for over 18 hours without food, water or access to the internet. The NFF eventually boycotted the game after the traumatic experience suffered by the players which drew global condemnation.
While addressing CAF’s 46th Ordinary General Assembly in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on Tuesday, Motsepe explained the steps being taken by the continental football body to forestall a future occurrence at both club and national team levels.
“The issue is that we should have zero tolerance. I’m not going to express any comments on the Nigeria-Libya situation,” he said.
“When I sleep I usually have my cell phone next to me and it is always open because particularly we’ve got 80,000 employees in the mines.
“I’m the executive chairman and I’ve got other responsibilities, so I keep my phone open throughout the night.”
The billionaire businessman and owner of South African club Mamelodi Sundowns then gave his thoughts on hostility in African football in relation to the Super Eagles’ Libya incident.
“Let me tell you why I referred to that,” he said.
“It is because when there was a problem with the Nigerian team in Libya, I will not comment on that because there is a proper investigation, but I want to emphasise a principle that we will not tolerate because this is something that has been going on for quite some time.
“Let me emphasise, forget about the Nigerian and Libya situation because that process is being investigated and appropriate action will be taken.
“I’ve heard too many stories of how a football club or national team goes to a country, you spend hours at the airport and they ask you about documents that do not exist.
“And apparently during Covid, they would look for the best players from your national team and say ‘those 10 players, they’ve got covid’.
“And you say ‘but we’ve just been tested’ and they say ‘no, no, no, they’ve got covid’. But it is this lack of sportsmanship that has existed and we have not taken effective action.
“So I just want to repeat; we are proud of those nations that treat visiting national teams and visiting football clubs with the respect and the dignity that they deserve.
“But also they want to be treated the same way when they visit those countries.
“I just want to repeat we are reviewing those laws to emphasise sportsmanship. When the national team from another country visits or a football club visits, treat them with the dignity and the respect that they deserve and if they are violations of those regulations and rules, we will take action.”
CAF has not announced the date when its verdict on the Nigeria/Libya incident will be declared.
