By Mark Baber
February 26 – Two years after the start of the Libyan revolution, football faces a major struggle to return to normality in Libya.
On Sunday, a Flamengo all-star team, headed by Carlos Alberto, flew into Libya and then played a team of Libyan ex-internationals before a small crowd in the Tripoli International Stadium as part of the February 17 celebrations.
On Monday, Anwar al-Tashani, a lawyer who has served with the Attahadi club in the eastern city of Benghazi and on several sports federations, was reportedly elected in a Libyan Football Federation general assembly vote with more than 100 clubs taking part.
Meanwhile, the Integrity Commission, a powerful body reportedly dominated by the Muslim Brotherhood, is vetting all office-holders in Libya, including those in sports bodies, and has disbarred Naji Mohammad Ali Hassan, a candidate for membership in the Board of the Libyan Football Federation.
The Integrity Commission has been criticised by human rights groups for its lack of transparency, inadequate safeguards for accused and broad and vague mandate as it excludes all people from public life who supported the previous regime and failed to join the revolution by March 20, 2011.
Whilst the new authorities are keen to persuade foreigners the country is secure, militias hold great sway and Western countries advise their citizens to avoid all travel to many areas of the country and only essential travel to the rest.
Whilst Libya still intends to bid to host the 2017 African Cup of Nations, no domestic league matches have been played since February 9, 2011 and the national team is playing its home games in Algeria and Tunisia due to the security situation.
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