AFCON 2025 Qualifiers: Why Libyan Players Have Begun Early Training After CAF Verdict
- The Libyan national team players will begin preparations for their final AFCON 2025 qualifier games early
- Coach Nasser Al-Hadhiri has directed all players in the 25-man squad to resume camping in Benghazi tomorrow
- The Mediterranean Knights will face Rwanda away first before hosting Benin Republic on the final matchday
The Libya national team will begin early preparations for their final two games of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, with the games still two weeks away.
Libya will face Rwanda at the Amahoro Stadium in Kigali on matchday five before hosting Benin Republic at the Martyrs of February Stadium in Benghazi in the final match.
Source: Twitter
The Mediterranean Knights are bottom of Group D with one point from four games and have a very slim chance of qualifying despite CAF's sanctions favouring Nigeria.
The Super Eagles need one point from their final two games to make it through to the tournament in Morocco after receiving three points from the botched match against Libya.
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Why Libya started training early
According to Libya Akhbar, head coach Nasser Al-Hadhiri has released a 25-man squad for the upcoming games, all home-based players and instructed them to resume camping in Benghazi on Saturday.
Even though CAF scheduled their final two games for November 14 and 18, Al-Hadhiri wants his players together early for their preparations.
Libya News Agency reported that this decision was taken because all the players ply their trade in the Libya Premier League, which has yet to resume for its 2024/25 season and to get the players’ fitness levels up.
According to KingFut, the LPL will resume on November 25 after two postponements over disagreement on the new league format, forcing CAF Confederation Cup representative Al Hilal to withdraw.
“There is an internal admission among the Libyans that their AFCON 2025 qualifiers campaign is over after CAF's verdict. The early training camp is for Al-Hadhiri to know his players better ahead of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers next year,” says a Nigerian journalist residing in Libya, who wants anonymity for security reasons.
How CAF decided Libya's verdict
Legit.ng reported that former NFF President and FIFA Council member Amaju Pinnick explained how CAF reached the verdict over the botched Libya vs Nigeria match.
Pinnick, who represented Nigeria at the hearing, explained that the decision was taken based on the organisation's rules and no emotions were attached.
How Libya could qualify for AFCON 2025
Legit.ng analysed how Libya could qualify for AFCON 2025 despite CAF's verdict favouring the Super Eagles and leaving the North Africans on the brink of missing out.
Their path to the tournament in Morocco is not in their hands as they will need help from Nigeria, which they mistreated, making it nearly impossible to happen.
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Source: Legit.ng
