By Mark Baber
April 11 – Libya’s minister for Youths and Sports, Abdussalam Guaila has confirmed that Libya is planning to build a 60,000 capacity stadium in Tajoura, Tripoli and a 23,000 seater in Misrata for the 2017 African Cup of Nations.
A three-man CAF delegation visited the country in March, and CAF allowed Al Nasser to host Moroccan army side FAR Rabat in Benghazi on April 5. The game ended 1-1 in front of a lively but well-behaved 10,000 spectators, marking the return of international club football to the country.
The Libyan Football Federation hopes that FIFA will lift the ban on the national side playing at home which has seen the national side play home fixtures in Mali, Egypt and Tunisia.
According to Guaila, the African Nations Cup “is not only a sports event but an opportunity to move on from revolution to reconstruction of the state.”
Meanwhile the security situation is not considered stable enough for a resumption of domestic football and the UK Foreign office advises against all travel to Benghazi and only essential travel to Benghazi and Misrata, given the risk of “terrorism including kidnapping,” and “violent clashes between armed groups”.
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