In response to the recent ruling by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) regarding the Nigeria Football Federation's complaint about the mistreatment of the Super Eagles in Libya, members of the Nigerian community in Libya are reportedly facing mass arrests and fines.

The Nigerian football team was detained at Al-Abraq Airport in eastern Libya for over 20 hours upon their arrival for the second leg of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Libya’s national team. The team was originally scheduled to land at Benghazi Airport and then travel nearly four hours by road to Benina, the match venue. However, less than an hour before landing, the Tunisian pilot received orders from Libyan authorities to divert the flight to Al-Abraq Airport, which is 150 miles from the intended destination.

This incident sparked significant outrage, prompting the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to withdraw the Super Eagles from the qualifying match and file an official complaint with CAF. In its ruling on Saturday, October 26, signed by Chairman Ousmane Kane, CAF's disciplinary committee awarded Nigeria three points and three goals for the abandoned match, citing violations by the Libyan Football Federation (LFF) of Article 31 of the Africa Cup of Nations Regulations and Articles 82 and 151 of the CAF Disciplinary Code. The LFF was also fined $50,000, which must be paid within 60 days of notification.

Displeased with the ruling, LFF President Nasser Al-Suwai’i criticized it as "unjust and malicious," suggesting that the NFF's influence within CAF contributed to the outcome. A report by Libyan Observer on Monday quoted Al-Suwai’i, who announced that the LFF plans to file an official appeal within hours and, if necessary, would take the matter to the Court of Arbitration for Sport to secure "their legitimate rights."

Following the CAF decision, a popular Libyan news blog, Libya News Today 1, posted on Sunday urging the government to arrest Nigerian workers in Libya who lack legal documentation, demanding fines of $500 plus taxes. The blog claimed, “The fine that Libya is accused of will be paid by Nigerian citizens living in Libya. We have been subjected to injustice. We have no borders with Nigeria. What benefit do they provide us? They are a burden on the Libyan people and must return home.” This blog has over 188,000 followers on Facebook and 57,000 likes.