During CAF’s 46th Ordinary General Assembly held in Addis Ababa, Patrice Motsepe highlighted the challenges the Super Eagles endured as they prepared for their 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier in October.
Recall that the Nigerian team encountered a multitude of hardships when their flight was rerouted from Benghazi Airport to a smaller facility, Al Abraq Airport. This diversion resulted in the players and officials being held for over 15 hours, deprived of essential needs such as food, water, and access to the internet.
During the assembly, Motsepe underscored the importance of addressing such inhumane treatment, stating, “We should have zero tolerance.”
He refrained from commenting in detail about the specific situation in Libya, as a formal investigation is currently underway. However, he emphasized that such behavior would not be tolerated moving forward.
Motsepe said, “It’s because when there was this problem with the Nigerian national team in Libya, and I will not comment on that, because there’s a proper investigation. But I want to emphasize a principle that we will not tolerate because this is something that has been going on for quite some time.
“Your national team, let me emphasize, forget about the Nigeria and Libya situation because that process has been properly investigated, and appropriate action will be taken.”
He added, “Too many stories have been told of national teams or football clubs going to a country, and they spend hours at the airport, being asked about documents that don’t exist.”