AFCON
Tunisia in flying starting, hammer Equatorial Guinea in AFCON qualifier
Tunisia got off to a flying start in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers on Thursday when they hammered ten-man Equatorial Guinea 4-0 in Rades in a game they thoroughly dominated.
Naïm Sliti was the hero of the match having scored one goal and set up two to help the Carthage Eagles to the emphatic victory over the Equatoguineans.
The first scoring chance of the match fell in the way of Firas Ben Larbi but his piledriver was saved by Equatoguinean goalie Jesus Owono in the 20th minute.
Moments later Owono pulled another spectacular save to deny a thunderous strike by midfielder Ferjani Sassi at the Stade Hammadi Agrebi in Radès.
Sliti finally broke the deadlock of the match to give the Tunisian a deserving leading eleven minutes after recess as he scored from close range following an excellent team play.
Equatorial Guinea were reduced to ten men in the 71st minute when Spain-based midfielder Joan Lopez Elo was booked for the second time in the game.
Tunisia doubled their advantage in the 77th minute after Sliti set up Seifeddine Jaziri to head home before Youssef Msakni came from the bench to add another goal three minutes later.
Msakni scored again to seal the victory for the home side five minutes to the end of the match as Tunisia displaced Libya to go top of the Group J on goal difference.
According to Libyan sources, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) will announce its final decision on the botched Libya-Nigeria Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match.
The two parties had until Sunday, October 19th, to submit their sides of the case. But as Libya Al-Ahrar Channel puts it, not just the failed match at Benina Stadium is being investigated.
The publication has it that the Libyan Football Federation (LFF) may have asked that the first-leg match that Libya lost should be included in the investigation.
According to Libya Al-Ahrar Channel, investigations “will include the events that accompanied the first and second leg matches between the national team and Nigeria in the qualifiers for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.”
The Libyan Federation submitted all the documents it collected with a specialized lawyer assigned by the Libyan Federation to supervise the Libyan file with the Confederation of African Football.
AFCON
Prominent Libyan football official calls for tough sanction on those responsible for Super Eagles’ maltreatment
A prominent Libyan football official, Al-Siddiq Abu Hadima,has called for tough sanctions on the Libyan Football Federation officials responsible for the crisis that engulfed the suspended Libya-Nigeria Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match.
Hadima, a former president of the Al-Dhahra Club, asked for the dismissal and prosecution of those responsible for the crisis.
In a publication in Libya’s outlet. Al-Wasat, Hadima recommended that if such people failed to submit a report that will exonerate them when the Sunday 20 October deadline issued by CAF lapses, “then they must be prosecuted and permanently dismissed.”
Al-Wasat got Hadima’s comments from his post on Facebook and remarked that “this negligence – if it happened – constitutes a betrayal of trust and a lack of awareness of the gravity of responsibility.”
It will be recalled that the Nigerian delegation to the botched match was held up for close to 20 hours at an abandoned Labraq Airport where their aircraft already on descent was dangerously diverted to.
The Nigerians were left without food and water for nearly 20 hours. CAF has already strongly condemned the actions of the Libyans.
As an investigation into the botched Libya-Nigeria Africa Cup of Nations match, the Libyan FA secretary, Nasser Al-Suwaie has raised queries on the integrity of the personnel of the Confederation of African Football (CAF).
In a report published in the online version of Libyaalahrar.tv, Al-Suwaie remarked that there may be collusion from some parties within CAF, but the position of the Libyan Federation is strong.
He added that the Libyan Federation did not change the course of the plane’s landing to Al-Abraq Airport, and the reason for changing the plane’s landing to Al-Abraq was a decision by the Libyan state, and that the sovereignty of the Libyan state must be respected by everyone.
He however was silent on why the team was held hostage at the Al Abraq Airport and why the Libyan FA did not provide any logistic support to the Nigerian team that was held up at the airport for more than 16 hours without food and water.
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