CAF Postpones U-20 Championship Scheduled to Open in Libya

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has decided to postpone its U-20 African soccer championship that was scheduled to open in Libya on March 18.

CAF said weeks after mass protests erupted in Libya demanding the resignation of Col. Moammar Gadaffi after 41 years in office and Gadaffi’s internationally condemned brutal efforts to suppress the demonstrations that it would soon announce a new venue and date for the tournament.

South Africa, Ghana and Algeria have offered to take Libya’s place as host.

It was unclear why it too CAF so long to conclude that Libya was no longer an acceptable venue in terms of security as well as in light of the fact that elements of the country’s army and air force have so far unsuccessfully brutally tried to crush the popular revolt by randomly killing hundreds of protesters with snipers, heavy machine guns

CAF has been largely silent on the escalating situation in the country. One explanation may be that one of Gadaffi’s sons, Mohammed al Gadaffi, is head of the CAF organizing committee for the U-20 championship, which raises the question why he was not suspended in the wake of his family’s use of force against the protesters.

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