Sports

Eagle’s Hostage : Nigeria, Libya Await Verdict Today

Published

2 years ago

October 22, 2024

Joel Ajayi

Confederation of African Football will today announce its decision on the botched AFCON qualifying Group D between Libya and Nigeria, which was scheduled for Benina Martyrs Stadium on October 15.

According to Libya Al-Ahrar Channel, the apex continental football body will announce the final decision regarding the players’ ordeal during the first leg in Nigeria in October, which ended 1-0 in favour of the Super Eagles and the reverse fixture that would have held at the 10,550-capacity, Libya’s first all-seater stadium.

The outlet also revealed that the Libyan Football Federation submitted all the documents it collected with a specialised lawyer assigned by the body to supervise the Libyan file with the Confederation of African Football.

A day after the botched encounter, CAF delisted the fixture from its calendar after announcing its cancellation hours before kick-off, with the matter referred to the Disciplinary Committee for consideration.

its statement on Monday, the Libyan Football Federation denounced the measures taken by the Nigerian side regarding the team’s refusal to play its match against Libya.
The Federation confirmed that it would take all legal measures to preserve the interests of the national football team.

Nigeria had arrived for the match on Sunday, October 14, only for their flight to be diverted to Al Abraq International Airport, which is about three hours away by road to Benghazi, the venue of the match.

The Libyan authorities held them captive for approximately 17 hours, leaving them traumatized as they flew back to their home country.

Nigeria lodged a complaint with CAF lamenting their ordeal, and the Libyan Federation said that the Nigerians did not cooperate with them in any way, whether in the first or second leg, indicating that their experience is a child’s play compared to theirs while in Nigeria for the first leg.

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Sports

Vipers VC celebrate captain Esther Mbah on birthday

Published

17 hours ago

November 14, 2026

The Gleamer

Cyril Ogar

Vipers Volleyball Club have felicitated with their captain, Esther Mbah on the occasion of her birthday.

In a statement signed by the Vipers VC Team Manager, Suraj Abiodun Jabar; the club described Mbah as a leader who has consistently demonstrated excellence both on and off the court.

The statement also praised the Nigerian international for her valuable contributions to the club.

The statement mentioned her role in guiding Vipers to a second-place finish at the 2026 CAVB Zone 3 Club Championship in Ghana.

It read: “The management of Vipers Volleyball Club wants to celebrate Esther Mbah on the occasion of her birthday.

“She has been an asset to Vipers since joining the club, demonstrating outstanding commitment, dedication and leadership.

“Her contributions to the growth and success of the team have been invaluable.

“We appreciate her efforts, professionalism and the positive influence she continues to have on her teammates. We wish her more successful years ahead, good health and greater achievements.”

The club concluded its birthday message by wishing the experienced player continued success as she leads the team towards achieving more honours.

Beyond her achievements at club level, Mbah won a bronze medal for Nigeria at the 2024 African Games in Ghana, further establishing herself as one of the country’s accomplished volleyball players.

She has also secured qualification for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games, adding another milestone to her growing career.

In their separate messages, board members of Nigeria Volleyball Federation, James Datuhun and Chinedu Onikeku (OLY) as well as Coordinator of Vipers VC, Samuel Onikeku wished the Nigeria international a glamorous birthday.

They hailed Esther Mbah for exhibiting a high level of leadership trait since joining the team.

The stakeholders prayed for good health and ultimately success as she prepares for the Beach Volleyball event at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.

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