Benghazi reopens international stadium in star-studded ceremony

Libya’s second-largest city Benghazi on Thursday opened its newly reconstructed international stadium with a high-profile ceremony featuring global football legends.

The event was attended by a packed crowd and eastern Libya’s strongman Khalifa Haftar.

It also featured appearances by former football stars including England’s Ballon d’Or-winning Michael Owen, Brazilians Roberto Carlos and Julio Cesar, and Portugal’s Luis Figo and Nani.

Belgacem Haftar, one of the strongman’s six sons and head of the North African country’s Reconstruction Fund, was also in the stands.

“The Benghazi international stadium belongs to all Libyans,” his father said, describing it as a place of unity as Libya remains a “single nation despite the challenges and difficulties.”

The oil-rich country is still grappling with the aftermath of the armed conflict and political chaos that followed the 2011 NATO-backed uprising that toppled long-time dictator Moamer Kadhafi.

It remains divided between an internationally recognised Tripoli-based government in the west, led by Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah, and a Haftar-backed rival administration in the east.

Without directly referencing eastern authorities, Dbeibah congratulated “Benghazi residents” on the stadium’s reopening in a statement posted on social media.

“Any addition to the country’s sports infrastructure serves Libyan interests,” he wrote.

The stadium is set to host as many as 42,000 spectators, a significant increase from its past 28,000-seat capacity, according to official figures.

For many football-loving Libyans, it also signalled a step towards normality in a city that has endured years of conflict.

Last March, under Dbeibah’s administration, Tripoli International Stadium was also reopened following two years of renovations to meet international standards.