Questions have emerged within African football after the Libyan Football Federation claimed it held a high-level meeting with Confederation of African Football president Patrice Motsepe, a gathering that several CAF officials now say never took place.
In a statement published in Arabic on its official Facebook page, the Libyan Football Federation (LFF) announced that its president, Dr Abdelmoula Al-Maghrabi, had taken part in a videoconference with Motsepe, alongside members of the CAF Executive Committee and senior administrators.
According to the statement, participants offered condolences following the deaths of Libya’s Chief of Staff and members of his delegation in a fatal plane crash, with CAF expressing solidarity with the Libyan people.
The message then went further, stating that discussions also focused on the continuation of Libya’s elite domestic league.
The statement attributed remarks to Motsepe suggesting that playing matches during this period symbolised resilience and loyalty to the victims, framing football as a sign of life continuing despite tragedy.
That position caused unease in Libya, where the Government of National Accord declared three days of national mourning beginning on 23 December.
The decision to maintain league fixtures during that period has already triggered tension between state authorities and the football federation, with critics accusing the LFF of using CAF’s name to legitimise its stance.
Doubts deepened when multiple CAF officials, contacted independently, expressed surprise at the alleged meeting. Several members of the Executive Committee said they had no knowledge of such a videoconference and insisted they had not participated in any discussion of that nature.
“We were attending matches in various stadiums, just like the president,” one executive member said from Morocco, speaking on condition of anonymity.
“I do not know when this meeting could have taken place. I did not attend it, and colleagues I contacted were equally unaware.”
A senior CAF figure echoed that account, stating bluntly that he had neither attended nor heard of the meeting. He added that the content attributed to CAF leadership did not reflect internal discussions within the organisation. A third official also confirmed complete ignorance of the alleged exchange.
From CAF’s side, no official communication referenced any such meeting, and repeated attempts to obtain clarification from senior figures received no response.
The absence of confirmation has only fuelled suspicion in Libya, where opponents of Dr Al-Maghrabi openly question the authenticity of the statement.
“This looks like a fabrication designed to justify playing league matches during national mourning,” one Libyan official said anonymously, reflecting a growing backlash within the country.
According to sources familiar with the situation, sustained questioning from journalists eventually reached CAF headquarters.
The governing body reportedly asked the Libyan Football Federation to clarify the origin and accuracy of the Facebook statement.
The response raised further eyebrows: the federation claimed its official page had been hacked.
The explanation has done little to settle the matter. Instead, it has intensified scrutiny of governance, communication, and transparency at a sensitive moment for Libyan football and CAF alike, leaving unanswered questions about accountability and the true nature of the events described.
