The Digest:
The Libyan Football Federation has publicly congratulated DR Congo for eliminating Nigeria from World Cup qualification, sparking speculation about lingering grudges from past AFCON qualifiers where Libya forfeited a match after stranding Nigerian players at an abandoned airport.
Key Points:
- Libya's federation called DR Congo's win "well deserved" in a social media post.
- The nations share recent history after Libya stranded Super Eagles staff at an abandoned airport in 2024.
- CAF sanctioned Libya for that incident, forcing a forfeit that cost them AFCON qualification.
- DR Congo defeated Nigeria on penalties to advance to the intercontinental World Cup playoffs.
- Libya's message appears celebratory toward Congo rather than directly critical of Nigeria.
- The nations aren't geographically proximate, raising questions about motivation.
- Nigeria had previously defeated Libya in their sole completed AFCON qualifier.
Sources: Soccernet, Libyan Football Federation
