Libya national team, the Mediterranean Knights’ Head Coach, Nasser Al-Hadhirinew, and his captain, Faisel Al Badri, voiced differing views on Thursday ahead of Friday’s AFCON 2025 Group D qualifier against Nigeria’s Super Eagles in Uyo, Completesports.com reports.
Al-Hadhirinew succeeded former Serbian coach, Milutin Sredojević (Micho), who was relieved of his managerial duties following the Mediterranean Knights’ poor start to the AFCON 2025 qualification campaign.
Libya were held to a 1-1 draw by Rwanda in their opening game and suffered a 2-1 defeat to Benin Republic in their second match, a performance the Libyan Football Federation (LFF) found unacceptable, leading to Micho’s dismissal.
In his place, Al-Hadhirinew, who was Micho’s assistant, was promoted to head coach of the Mediterranean Knights.
Ahead of Friday’s high-stakes clash against the Super Eagles at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium, Uyo, Al-Hadhirinew played mind games, praising the Super Eagles and their quality, suggesting that Libya had nothing to lose against what he described as the “best team in Africa.”
However, his captain, Al Badri, struck a more defiant tone, declaring emphatically that they were in Uyo to claim all three points.
“We’re well aware of the strength of the Super Eagles as the strongest team in Africa,” Al-Hadhirinew said during a pre-match press briefing on Thursday in Uyo.
“No team in Africa comes close to the Super Eagles. They are made up of players who play in the biggest and best leagues in the world, particularly in Europe – Italy, Spain, England, France, Germany – everywhere.
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“There’s Victor Osimhen, the reigning African Player of the Year, playing in Italy or Turkey. There’s no doubt the Super Eagles are the strongest team in Africa right now,” Al-Hadhirinew said when asked about his expectations for Friday night’s game, his first as head coach.
He continued: “We lost 4-0 here before. Now we are back to see how we can improve our game.
“Being my first game isn’t going to put any pressure on me. We can only put pressure on Nigeria.
“We know it’s difficult to win here, but in Libya, we must try to secure victory.”
Al-Hadhirinew drew a sharp contrast between his team and the Super Eagles, stressing that while the Super Eagles boast star players from top European leagues, his Mediterranean Knights consist of young players from Libya’s domestic league.
He said: “We know that the Super Eagles players are highly experienced, having all played in Europe, but the Libyan players are based at home, with our league nowhere near the top leagues in Africa.
“They know they are here to do their best against the best on the continent.”
When reminded that African Player of the Year, Victor Osimhen, would not feature for Augustine Eguavoen’s side, Al-Hadhirinew insisted that the Super Eagles did not need to rely on Osimhen to win matches, highlighting the depth of talent available to Eguavoen.
“The Super Eagles don’t depend on one player to win games. All the players are good, talented, experienced, and based in Europe.
“They are the best Africa has at the moment, and they work well together on the pitch,” he added.
Team captain Al Badri, however, offered a contrasting view.
Al Badri, speaking briefly, made Libya’s intentions clear: “We’re here to win,” he said firmly. “We know we’re up against the strongest team in Africa, but we came here to win.”
By Sab Osuji in Uyo.
