Mini-Football AFCON: Libya Arrives Nigeria As Tunisia Withdraws

Mini-Football AFCON: Libya Arrives Nigeria As Tunisia Withdraws By Sampson Adedeji The 2018 host, Libya are the first country to arrive Nigeria for the second edition of African Minifootball Cup, BSNSports.com.ng reports. Libya touched down at Muritala Muhammed International Airport Lagos on Monday afternoon where they were conveyed to Ilaji Hotels and Resorts, Ibadan the venue of the competition. The team is expected to commence training session on Tuesday as many countries are expected in Nigeria today and the rest on Wednesday. Tunisia, however, has withdrawn from the 2021 Mini-African Cup of Nations slated for Nigeria. The President of Tunisia Mini-Football Ashraf Bensalah has confirmed that the country will not take part in the competition, after receiving a correspondence from the sports ministry. After completing all travel procedures; obtaining visas, and carrying out all necessary vaccinations and are scheduled to travel to Nigeria on Monday, the Tunisian Minifootball League on Saturday received an official correspondence from the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Professional Integration, calling on it not to pull out of tournament . Tunisia sports ministry considered Nigeria as one of the Africa country with highest number of Coronavirus cases, hence the decision to stop the team from from visiting the West African country. Ministry of Youth and , Sports confirmed in its correspondence that the Tunisian Mini Football League will bear the responsibility for whatever sanctions that might follow its decisions. President of the Tunisian Mini-Football Federation, Bensalah, described the decision taken by the Ministry of Youth, Sports to deprive the Tunisian national team of participating in the African Nations Cup as unreasonable and unacceptable and a great injustice against the right of mini-football in particular. It was taken without looking at the conditions or details of the tournament. Tunisia is in the same group with Benin Republic, South Africa and Burkina Faso. The competition is slated for Oyo State between July 7th to 18th, 2021 with fifteen countries slugging it out for the trophy.