Libya's 'curious' football cup, played in Italy to empty stadiums

Al-Ahli Tripoli were crowned champions of the Libyan Premier League last week not in Tripoli, or even Libya, but in Milan.

Political instability and logistical issues have made it difficult to host matches safely in Libya, and the fact the newly crowned champions' 2-0 victory over rivals Al-Hilal Benghazi took place in Italy was the latest example of a "curious collaboration" between the two nations, said The New York Times.

Explosive enmity

The play-off games between Libya's top six clubs have been held in closed stadiums in Italy in front of a handful of invited guests, to minimise the possibility of conflict.

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But the game between Al-Ahli Tripoli and Al Ittihad "descended into a melee" that saw "rival players and staff members kicking and punching one another, forcing the police to move in", said The New York Times. The on-pitch clash mirrored the "security and political crisis" that "continues to plague" Libya more than 10 years after the "bloody overthrow" of Colonel Gaddafi.

Libya's football league is split between an eastern and western conference, with the top sides in each division facing each other in a play-off to decide the overall winner. But with the west and east of Libya run by separate and mutually hostile governments – the internationally recognised government in Tripoli, and the breakaway government headquartered in Benghazi – staging the tournament within Libya is not possible.

"Primarily, they would be worried about the security of it," Tim Eaton, a researcher at the Chatham House think tank, told The New York Times. "And it's not like they would accept to play it on one side or the other."

For the second year running, the play-offs have been held in Italy, an arrangement secured last year by Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, whose battle to stop migrant crossings to Italy relies on the co-operation of Libya's coastguard.

Authentic farce

The road to Sunday's final "hasn't been an easy journey", said La Gazzetta dello Sport. Even though all six games were played behind closed doors, organisers have had to contend with "hordes of fans always ready for confrontation, even including some officials", necessitating "a significant deployment of security forces".

The play-offs have been "widely described" as a "failure and a disgrace on all levels", said The Libya Observer. Players have complained of "poor hotels" and "inadequate training facilities", while Italian authorities allege "delays by Libyan officials in paying stadium and hotel fees", as well as "unsportsmanlike incidents" during games, where officials from the rival governments have often been seated almost side by side.

And while Italy has "taken up the role of neutral arbiter", it still can't "escape" the political divides that "roil" Libya, said The New York Times. Last year's final in Rome ended in farcical scenes when the championship was won by Al-Nasr, whose president is the son of Khalifa Haftar, the dictator who rules eastern Libya.

In protest at the EU's refusal to recognise the Benghazi regime, the team refused to walk on to the pitch to receive their medals, leaving Italian dignitaries standing in an empty field. An "impromptu celebration" was held in a car park outside.