CONFEDERATION of African Football (CAF) President, Dr Patrice Motsepe, has said that the body is determined to stamp out the lack of sportsmanship by host countries on the continent in the aftermath of the Super Eagles’ ordeal in Libya last week.
The Nigerian contigent was in the North African country for the return leg of their Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, but were subjected to inhumane treatment by the Libyan authorities.
The plane conveying the Nigerian contingent was diverted from its original destination mid-air and the team were held at the rundown facility they were forced into for over 18 hours without food, water or access to the internet.
The Super Eagles boycotted the game and flew back home, as the world condemned Libya’s actions.
While addressing CAF’s 46th Ordinary General Assembly in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia today, Motsepe explained the steps being taken by the continental body to forestall a future occurrence.
“The issue is that we should have zero tolerance. I’m not going to express any direct opinions on the Nigeria-Libya situation,” he said.
“When I sleep I usually have my cell phone next to me and it is always open because we’ve got 80,000 employees in the mines.
“I’m the executive chairman and I’ve got other responsibilities, so I keep my phone open throughout the night.”
The billionaire businessman and owner of South African club Mamelodi Sundowns then gave his thoughts on hostility in African football in relation to the Super Eagles’ Libya incident.
“Let me tell you why I referred to that,” he said. “It is because when there was a problem with the Nigerian team in Libya, I will not comment much on that because there is a proper investigation, but I want to emphasise a principle that we will not tolerate because this is something that has been going on for quite some time.
“Let me emphasise, forget about the Nigerian and Libya situation because that process is being investigated and appropriate action will be taken.
“I’ve heard too many stories of how a football club or national team goes to a country, you spend hours at the airport and they ask you about documents that do not exist.
“And apparently during Covid, they would look for the best players from your national team and say ‘those 10 players, they’ve got covid’.
“And you say ‘but we’ve just been tested’ and they say ‘no, no, no, they’ve got covid’.
“But it is this lack of sportsmanship that has existed for years and we have not taken effective action.
“So I just want to repeat; we are proud of those nations that treat visiting national teams and visiting football clubs with the respect and the dignity that they deserve.
“But also they want to be treated the same way when they visit those countries.
“I just want to repeat, we are reviewing those laws to emphasise sportsmanship. When the national team from another country visits or a football club visits, treat them with the dignity and the respect that they deserve and if they are violations of those regulations and rules, we will take action.”
CAF has not announced the date when its verdict on the Nigeria/Libya incident will be declared.
