AFCON qualifier: Libya in crisis ahead Nigeria clash

Libyan football has been engulfed by crisis, resulting in the resignation of the President of the Libyan Football Federation, Abdul Hakim Al-Shalmani, on Sunday, two days before their crucial 2025 AFCON qualifying Group D clash with Nigeria.

The Mediterranean Knights were edged 1-0 by the Super Eagles in Uyo on Friday to stay rooted to the bottom of Group D, having mustered a point in three games. They had looked to rekindle hopes of qualification during the reverse tie at Benina Stadium on Tuesday but have been demoralised by the resignation of their FA boss, which, on a large scale, has left Libyan football at a crossroads.

According to Sunday’s report by addresslibya.com, Al-Shalmani, who had been under intense pressure to quit the saddle, announced his resignation in a controversial meeting attended by representatives of only four obscure clubs out of 120 clubs.

The meeting, which was held on Sunday at the Al-Mahari Hotel in the capital, Tripoli, was also attended by representatives of the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) and the Confederation of African Football (CAF), in addition to independent members of the Libyan Federation.

The absence of major clubs such as Benghazi, Al-Jabal Al-Akhdar, and the Southern Region from attending raised a big question mark about the legitimacy of the meeting and the extent to which it truly represents the sports community.

These clubs had announced the suspension of their participation in the Premier League for the next season in protest against the federation’s decision to increase the number of teams to 36, which led some to believe that Al-Shalmani’s resignation came as a result of increasing pressure from these clubs.

In his speech, Al-Shalmani expressed his pride in the achievements he made during his presidency, which began in December 2018, noting that his work in international, Arab, and African federations was full of undeniable achievements.

But at the same time, he stressed that he does not want to be a cause of division in the sports community or deepen the crisis between clubs and fans.

“I have done my best to advance Libyan football, but I do not want to be a cause of failure or division,” Al-Shalmani said in his speech. “I thank everyone who supported me during my career, and I wish the national team success in the future.”

This development has no doubt put spanners in the wheel of preparation for Nigeria’s visit and dampened the players’ morale and quest for a positive result needed to restore hopes of reaching the AFCON final in Morocco.

Nigeria top the group with seven points, one point adrift of Benin Republic in second place, while Rwanda are third with two points after three rounds of games.