Oboabona slams Libya over Super Eagles' ordeal and urges strict action from CAF
In the lead-up to their Africa Cup of Nations qualification match against the Mediterranean Knights, the three-time African champions endured a challenging experience in the North African country.
Augustine Eguavoen's squad was stranded at an abandoned airport for over 15 hours without assistance - a tactic used by their Libyan opponents to unsettle the team ahead of the match scheduled at Benina Martyrs Stadium in Benghazi.
After the players expressed their concerns on social media, they were eventually rescued from Al-Abraq, which led the Nigerian team to boycott the match due to safety concerns.
Oboabona shared his thoughts on a troubling incident that he believes violated the principles of fair play and respect in football while offering suggestions to the continent's football governing body on how to address the issue.
“It was truly a terrifying experience, but the most important thing is that the boys (Super Eagles) are safely back home after that frightening ordeal. I expect the Confederation of African Football to take action and prevent incidents like this in the future,” the 2013 AFCON winner told Flashscore.
“If this is what we consider home advantage, it's truly disgraceful, and it shows how far we still have to go on this continent. The Libyan Football Federation has no justification for their actions, which go against the principles of fair play and respect.
“Aware that they couldn't compete with the Nigerians, they resorted to such actions, but their plans backfired. I expect CAF to not only impose a heavy fine on the Libyans, but also to disqualify their national team from the tournament as a warning to other countries.”
The Libyan team had lost all their previous matches against Nigeria and were desperately in need of a victory to keep their hopes of qualifying for the biennial African football tournament alive.
Oboabona, who captained the Sunshine Stars in the Nigeria Professional Football League to a semi-final finish in both the 2011 CAF Confederation Cup and the 2012 CAF Champions League, shares his experiences and discusses their implications for African football.
He added: “I can relate to what Augustine Eguavoen’s team experienced, as I faced similar situations several times while representing Sunshine Stars in the CAF Champions League and CAF Confederation Cup.
“Our hosts, particularly the North Africans, often resorted to these tactics to demoralize us. I believe we should have moved beyond these issues by now because, in the end, it's our football in Africa that will continue to suffer.
“If this persists, our top players may refuse to participate in international fixtures played away from home, and even European clubs might hesitate to release them.
“I hope for a future when the world's biggest stars choose to end their careers playing for African clubs, but incidents like this could stand in the way of that dream.
“This isn't the first time it's happened, and CAF's failure to impose strict penalties on offenders has only encouraged such behaviour, as teams are now desperate to win at any cost.”
Despite having played one game fewer, Eguavoen's team tops Group D with seven points, and the former Rizespor defender believes there’s no stopping the 2023 AFCON runners-up.
“Nothing will stop Nigeria from qualifying for Morocco 2025 at this rate. They remain unbeaten in all three matches played so far in Group D, and if they maintain this momentum, they could finish the qualifying series without a single loss.”
CAF has confirmed that it has received an official complaint from the Nigeria Football Federation and has referred the case to its disciplinary board for investigation.
