The Cheetahs of Benin Republic captain, Steve Mounie, has criticised the poor treatment he and his teammates faced during their trip to Libya for the final game of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
Benin secured qualification following the team’s 0-0 draw against the Mediterranean Knights in Tripoli, finishing second with goal difference ahead of Rwanda in Group B.
Following the game, Libyan fans disrupted celebrations of the Gernot Rohr-led Benin team’s AFCON qualification by hurling objects at the players at Tripoli National Stadium.
Also, some Libyan security personnel allegedly attacked the team’s bus as they left the stadium, leaving coach Gernot Rohr and several others injured.
Speaking after the game to ORTB, Mounie recounted the team’s ordeal in Libya.
“It wasn’t easy. It was really a war zone. This Libyan team, this country and its supporters didn’t respect us at the start of the match. They whistled our national anthem, and we made it personal.
“We wanted to come out of this match with qualification. We did it with difficulty. Benin is at the CAN 2025. We can be proud of what we have achieved with this group of young players.”
The team’s ill-treatment comes a few weeks after the Super Eagles suffered a similar fate in Libya.
The Super Eagles’ players and officials were left stranded at the airport after arriving for the matchday four fixture in Libya.
The Nigerian team’s flight, originally scheduled to land in Benghazi, was diverted to another city, forcing them to undertake a two-hour road journey.
On top of that, the players and their staff were held at Al Abaq Airport for over 12 hours, with no permission to leave the arrival hall.
Taking to his social media account to express his disappointment, Ekong lamented how the airport gates had been locked, leaving players and officials with no food, drink, or phone connection.
He said he has never experienced such a treatment like this before while revealing that the Federal Government has been called to intervene in the situation.
“12+ hours in an abandoned airport in Lybia after our plane was diverted whilst descending. Lybian government rescinded our approved landing in Benghazi with no reason. They’ve locked the airport gates and left us without phone connection, food or drink. All to play mind games.
“I’ve experienced stuff before playing away in Africa but this is disgraceful behaviour. Even the Tunisian Pilot who thankfully managed to navigate the last minute change to an airport not fit for our plane to land had never seen something like this before.”
After the ordeal, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) awarded three points and three goals to Nigeria for the botched game.
