Fans beat players, coaches after goalless draw

The head coach of the Benin national team Gernot Rohr, has revealed players and officials of the team were assaulted by fans and police during the recent game between them and Libya in their final 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match in Tripoli earlier this week.

“We have never seen this kind of thing in football. Libya is not playing fair. After the match, we were thrown stones while at the players’ area,” Rohr said in an interview with Canal Plus about the team’s experience in Libya.

With Nigeria already securing a spot at the 2025 AFCON from Group D, Benin Republic, Rwanda, and Libya went into the final round of matches, hoping to pick up the second slot from the group.

However, the 0-0 draw between Benin and Libya in Tripoli on Monday meant the result favoured Rohr’s side as they secured the second ticket for the 2025 AFCON from the group.

The outcome apparently angered the Libya fans, who eventually resorted to throwing stones and bottles at members of the Benin Republic contingent, with some of them sustaining injuries while the Libyan police also struck players and officials with batons.

“The team’s bus was stopped, but finally, when the police came, we thought we were going to be safe, but they instead entered the bus and started beating in the bus,” Rohr said.

“Even the Tunisian assistant got beaten alongside everyone, which ultimately forced the bus to head directly to the airport to board the flight the Benin embassy had chartered to take everyone back home,” he added.

This is not the first time Libya has been accused of using “dark arts” and treating visiting teams horribly whenever they are in the country for football matches.

Visiting teams for interclub tournaments have also faced unpleasant treatment while in Libya.

Earlier this month, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) fined Libya $50,000 and awarded three points and three goals against them after diverting Super Eagles mid-air and holding the team hostage inside the airport for more than 15 hours without food and water.