2008–09 in Libyan football

The 2008-09 season is the 96th season of competitive football in Libya.

Overview

• Aman al Aam, Wefaq Sabratha & Sweahly are all playing in the Premier League after winning promotion from the Libyan Second Division last season. Sweahly and Wefaq are returning after a 3-year absence, while Aman al Aam are making their debut as a re-incarnation of Al-Shorta Tripoli.
• Ahly Benghazi, Hilal and Nasr are all playing at the Martyrs of February Stadium, the new LYD 20,000,000 project that opened on March 5, 2009

Events

On October 15, 2008, the Libyan Super Cup was won Ittihad as they defeated Khaleej Sirte 4-0 at 11 June Stadium

On October 17, 2008, the 2008-09 Libyan Premier League season started at the Green Document Stadium, at 14:00 GMT where Akhdar defeated Tersanah by 3 goals to 1.

On November 4, 2008, the 2008-09 Libyan Second Division season started.

On February 26, 2009, the 2008-09 Libyan Cup competition started

On May 28, 2009, Al Wahda Tripoli's relegation from the Libyan Premier League was confirmed after a 4-1 away defeat to Ahly Benghazi.

National team

The home team is on the left hand column; the away team is on the right hand column.

Friendly Matches

Libya  v  Senegal

20 August 2008 20:00 EET

Libya	2 – 2	Senegal

11 June Stadium, Tripoli

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Libya  v  Chad

24 August 2008 19:40 EET

Libya	3 – 0	Chad
Dawood  19' Esnani  77' al Tarhouni  80'

11 June Stadium, Tripoli

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Libya  v  Niger

28 August 2008 20:00 EET

Libya	6 – 2	Niger
al Maghrabi  25', 76' al Masly  44' al Tarhouni  51' Zubya  87' Kader  90+1' (o.g.)		Sacko  38', 77'

11 June Stadium, Tripoli Referee: Algerian Officials

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Libya  v  Uruguay

20 August 2008 20:00 EET

Libya	2 – 3	Uruguay
Esnani  31' al Fazzani  57'	(Report)	Eguren  14' Martínez  70' Pereira  74'

11 June Stadium, Tripoli

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Libya  v  Senegal

18 February 2009 14:00 EET

Libya	1 – 0	Senegal
Zubya  74'	(Report)

11 June Stadium, Tripoli

World Cup Qualifiers

Libya was in Group 4 of the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification process^[1]

Libya  v  Ghana

5 September 2008 21:00 EET

Libya	1 – 0	Ghana
al Rewani  5' Saad  44'  86'	(Report) (Arabic)	Kingston  26' Agogo  30'

11 June Stadium, Tripoli Attendance: 45,000 Referee: Koman Coulibaly[2]

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Gabon  v  Libya

11 October 2008 16:30 EET

Gabon	1 – 0	Libya
Moubamba  41' Mbanangoye  83' Meye  89'	(Report)	al Sbaay  9' Hussein  29' al Fazzani  73' Shaban  84'

Omnisports President Omar Bongo, Libreville Attendance: 26,000 Referee: Daniel Bennett[3]

African Nations Championship

Libya was in the North Zone for qualification to the inaugural African Nations Championship^[4]

Qualifying - Final Round

First leg

Morocco  v  Libya

29 November 2008 21:00 EET

Morocco	3 – 1	Libya
Allaoui  11', 61' Madihi  85'		Fazzani  25'

Stade Mohamed V, Casablanca

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Second leg

Libya  v  Morocco

13 December 2008 19:00 EET

Libya	3 – 0	Morocco
Zubya  18' Zuway  47' Saad  62'

11 June Stadium, Tripoli

Libya advance to CHAN 2009 finals.

Finals

Libya were drawn in Group B, along with DR Congo, Ghana and Zimbabwe.^[5]

DR Congo  v  Libya

2009-02-23 18:00

DR Congo	2 – 0	Libya
Kaluyituka  58' Lofo  67' (pen.) Kimuaki  85'	(Report)	Shaban  66' Saad  73' Fazzani  77'

Stade Bouaké, Bouaké Referee: Desiré Doué Nomandiez[6]

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Libya  v  Ghana

2009-02-26 18:00

Libya	1 – 1	Ghana
Saad  26' Daoud  36'	(Report)	Coffie  30' Badu  62' Yeboah  73' Owusu-Ansah  76'

Stade Bouaké, Bouaké Referee: Cheick Ahmed Tidiane Seck[7]

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Zimbabwe  v  Libya

2009-03-01 16:00

Zimbabwe	0 – 0	Libya
Karuru  18' Meleka  37' Gomba  86'	(Report)	Esnani  17'

Stade Félix Houphouët-Boigny, Abidjan Referee: Kokou Djaoupe[8]

Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
Ghana	3	1	2	0	6	3	+3	5
DR Congo	3	1	1	1	3	4	-1	4
Zimbabwe	3	0	3	0	3	3	0	3
Libya	3	0	2	1	1	3	-2	2

Performance in CAF competitions

Qualified Teams

• Ittihad - CAF Champions League 2009 (as Libyan Premier League 2007-08 winners)
• Ahly Tripoli - CAF Champions League 2009 (as Libyan Premier League 2007-08 runners-up)
• Ahly Benghazi - CAF Confederation Cup 2009 (as Libyan Premier League 2007-08 third-placed team)
• Khaleej Sirte - CAF Confederation Cup 2009 (as Libyan Cup 2007-08 winners)

Fixtures & Results

First round

NB: Ittihad received bye to Round of 32

Al Ahly Tripoli v AS Police

January 31, 2009 18:00 EET Champions League Preliminary Round, 1st Leg

Al Ahly Tripoli	6 – 0	AS Police
Pierre Koko'o  14', 41', 90+5' Waleed Sba'ai  69' Nader Kara  89', 90+6'	[9]

11 June Stadium, Tripoli Referee: Khalid Ramsis[10]

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AS Police v Al Ahly Tripoli

February 15, 2009 15:30 GMT Preliminary Round, 2nd Leg

AS Police	2 – 1	Al Ahly Tripoli
55', 58'	[11]	Ahmed Saad  72'

Stade Général Seyni Kountché, Niamey Referee: Jean-Baptiste Bassono[10]

Al Ahly Tripoli go through with an aggregate score of 7-2

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Prisons FC v Khaleej Sirte

February 1, 2009 15:00 EET CAF Cup Preliminary Round, 1st Leg

Prisons FC	0 – 2	Khaleej Sirte
	[12]	Abdallah al Sheikhy  3' Sheikh Sedao  59'

Benjamin Mkapa National Stadium, Dar-es-Salaam Referee: Alfred Ndinya[13]

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Khaleej Sirte v Prisons FC

February 14, 2009 13:30 GMT CAF Cup Preliminary Round, 2nd Leg

Khaleej Sirte	4 – 0	Prisons FC
Sa'ad Abdelhafeedh  24', 69' Sheikh Sedao  30' Achour Majeed  80'	[14]

2 March Stadium, Sirte Referee: Abderraouf Younis[13]

Khaleej Sirte go through with an aggregate score of 6-0

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Hay al Arab v Al Ahly Benghazi

February 1, 2009 17:00 GMT CAF Cup Preliminary Round, 1st Leg

Hay al Arab	0 – 1	Al Ahly Benghazi
	[12]	Ifeanyi Frederick Onuigbo  36' Hussein Fathi Sultaan  77'

Stade Port Sudan, Port Sudan Referee: Jean-Claude Niyongabo[13]

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Al Ahly Benghazi v Hay al Arab

February 15, 2009 13:30 GMT CAF Cup Preliminary Round, 2nd Leg

Al Ahly Benghazi	0 – 1(a.e.t.) (3 – 2 pen.)	Hay al Arab
	[14]	Ahmed Martin  45+1'

28 March Stadium, Benghazi Referee: Lamine Benaissa[13]

Al Ahly Benghazi go through 3-2 on penalty kicks, after an aggregate score of 1-1.

Second round

First Legs to be played over March 13-March 15, 2009
Second Legs to be played over April 3-April 5, 2009

JS Kabylie v Ahly Tripoli

March 15, 2009 15:00 GMT Champions League First Round, 1st Leg

JS Kabylie	1 – 2	Ahly Tripoli
Idrissa Coulibaly  79' (pen.)	[15]	Ahmed Saad  55' Osama Al Fazzani  74'

Stade 1er Novembre, Tizi Ouzou Referee: Osman Samir[16]

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Ahly Tripoli v JS Kabylie

April 4, 2009 18:00 GMT Champions League First Round, 2nd Leg

Ahly Tripoli	1 – 0	JS Kabylie
Omar Dawood  39'	[17][18]

11 June Stadium, Tripoli Referee: Aouaz Trabelsi[16]

Ahly Tripoli advance to the next stage of the competition with an aggregate score of 3–1.

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Ittihad v Al-Merreikh

March 13, 2009 17:30 EET Champions League First Round, 1st Leg

Ittihad	1 – 1	Al-Merreikh
Mohamed Zubya  47'	[19]	Haytham Tambal  74'

11 June Stadium, Tripoli Referee: Mohamed Bichari[16]

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Al-Merreikh v Ittihad

April 4, 2009 18:00 GMT Champions League First Round, 2nd Leg

Al-Merreikh	3 – 0	Ittihad
Endurance Idahor  9', 26' Raji Abdel-Aati  38'	[17]

Al Merreikh Stadium, Omdurman Referee: Kalyoto Ngosi[16]

Ittihad are eliminated from the competition with an aggregate score of 4–1

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CS Sfaxien v Ahly Benghazi

March 14, 2009 16:00 GMT CAF Cup Second Round, 1st Leg

CS Sfaxien	4 – 1	Ahly Benghazi
Hamza Younes  28', 70' Hamdi Rouid  50' Issam Merdassi  81' (pen.)	[20]	Ahmed al Masli  90+4'

Stade Taïeb Mhiri, Sfax Referee: Bunmi Ogunkolade[21]

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Ahly Benghazi v CS Sfaxien

April 4, 2009 16:00 GMT CAF Cup Second Round, 2nd Leg

Ahly Benghazi	2 – 1	CS Sfaxien
Ibrahim al Khalil  14' Ifeanyi Frederick Onuigbo  82'	[22]	Issam Merdassi  25' Hachem Abbes  45'

Martyrs of February Stadium, Benina Attendance: 11,000 Referee: Ali Kalyango[21]

Ahly Benghazi are eliminated from the comptetition with an aggregate score of 5–3

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Khaleej Sirte v ES Sétif

March 13, 2009 14:30 GMT CAF Cup Second Round, 1st Leg

Khaleej Sirte	0 – 1	ES Sétif
	[23]	Abdelmalek Ziaya  13'

2 March Stadium, Sirte Referee: El Fadil Mohamed[21]

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ES Sétif v Khaleej Sirte

April 3, 2009 20:00 EET CAF Cup Second Round, 2nd Leg

ES Sétif	5 – 0	Khaleej Sirte
Amine Aksas  30' Abdelmalek Ziaya  46' Lamouri Djediat  47', 55' Mohamed Seguer  83'	[22]

Stade 8 Mai 1945, Sétif Referee: Yosr Saadallah[21]

Khaleej Sirte are eliminated from the competition with an aggregate score of 6–0

Third round

First legs to be played over April 17-April 19, 2009
Second legs to be played over May 1-May 3, 2009

Ahly Tripoli v ES Sahel

April 18, 2009 19:00 EET Champions League Second Round, 1st Leg

Ahly Tripoli	0 – 0	ES Sahel
Ahmed Saad	[24]

11 June Stadium, Tripoli Referee: Yakhouba Keita[25]

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ES Sahel v Ahly Tripoli

May 2, 2009 17:00 GMT Champions League Second Round, 2nd Leg

ES Sahel	2 – 0	Ahly Tripoli
Sadat Bukari  17' Ammar Jemal  43'	[26]

Stade Olympique de Sousse, Sousse Referee: Khalid Abdul Rahman[25]

Ahly Tripoli are eliminated from the competition with an aggregate score of 2–0

Fourth round

First legs to be played over May 17-May 19, 2009
Second legs to be played over May 29-May 31, 2009^[27][28][29]

Ahly Tripoli v Haras El Hodood

May 15, 2009 19:00 EET Confederation Cup Second Round of 16, 1st Leg

Ahly Tripoli	0 – 0	Haras El Hodood
	[30][31]

11 June Stadium, Tripoli Referee: Abdellah El Achiri

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Haras El Hodood v Ahly Tripoli

May 31, 2009 19:00 EET Confederation Cup Second Round of 16, 2nd Leg

Haras El Hodood	2 – 1	Ahly Tripoli
Ahmed Salama  58', 88'	[32][33]	Nader Kara  37'

El Max Stadium, Alexandria Referee: Kacem Benacceur[34]

Ahly Tripoli are eliminated from the competition with an aggregate score of 2–1

Performance in UAFA Competitions

Qualified Teams

• Ittihad - Arab Champions League 2008-09 (as Libyan Premier League 2007-08 winners)
• Ahly Tripoli - Arab Champions League 2008-09 (as Libyan Premier League 2007-08 runners-up)

Fixtures & Results

First legs to be played over October 27-October 29, 2008
Second legs to be played over November 24-November 26, 2008^[35]

Ittihad v US Monastirienne

October 29, 2008 18:00 GMT Arab Champions League Round of 32, 1st Leg

Ittihad	1 – 1	US Monastirienne
Ahmed Mahmoud Zuway  83'	[36][37]	Hicham Essifi  75'

11 June Stadium, Tripoli

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US Monastirienne v Ittihad

November 26, 2008 14:30 GMT Arab Champions League Round of 32, 2nd Leg

US Monastirienne	2 – 1	Ittihad
Fraj Saasi  1' Hicham Essifi  8'	[38][39]	Ahmed Mahmoud Zuway  86'

Stade Mustapha Ben Jannet, Monastir

Ittihad are eliminated from the competition with an aggregate score of 3–2

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ES Tunis v Ahly Tripoli

October 29, 2008 18:30 GMT Arab Champions League Round of 32, 1st Leg

ES Tunis	0 – 0	Ahly Tripoli
	[36][40]

Stade El Menzah, Tunis

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Ahly Tripoli v ES Tunis

October 29, 2008 18:00 GMT Arab Champions League Round of 32, 2nd Leg

Ahly Tripoli	0 – 0 (8 – 9 pen.)	ES Tunis
	[38][39]

11 June Stadium, Tripoli

Al Ahly Tripoli are eliminated from the competition after losing a penalty shootout 9–8, after an aggregate score of 0–0

Performance in UNAF Competitions

Qualified Teams

• Ittihad - North African Cup of Champions (Libyan Premier League 2007-08 winners)
• Khaleej Sirte - North African Cup Winners Cup (Libyan Cup 2007-08 winners)

Fixtures & Results

Maghreb Fez v Khaleej Sirte

November 19, 2008 15:00 GMT Cup Winners Cup Qualifying Round, 1st Leg

Maghreb Fez	3 – 0	Khaleej Sirte
Kader Fall  9', 56' Mustapha Mraini  69'	[41]

Complexe Hassan II, Fez Attendance: 15,000

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Khaleej Sirte v Maghreb Fez

December 3, 2008 15:00 EET Cup Winners Cup Qualifying Round, 2nd Leg

Khaleej Sirte	0 – 1	Maghreb Fez
	[41]	Bouabid Bouden  90+2'

2 March Stadium, Sirte Attendance: 1,500

Khaleej Sirte are eliminated from the competition with an aggregate score of 4–0

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Club Africain v Al Ittihad

December 17, 2008 14:00 GMT Champions' Cup Semi-Final, 1st Leg

Club Africain	2 – 1	Al Ittihad
Oussama Sellami  26' Wissem Ben Yahia  61' (pen.)		Reyad Ellafi  68'

Stade Olympique d'El Menzah, Tunis Attendance: 25,000

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Ittihad v Club Africain

December 24, 2008 15:30 GMT Champions' Cup Semi-Final, 2nd Leg

Ittihad	1 – 1	Club Africain
Mohammad Esnani  14'	[42]	Lassaad Ouertani  57'

11 June Stadium, Tripoli Attendance: 35,000 Referee: Essam Abdelfattah

Ittihad are eliminated from the competition with an aggregate score of 3–2

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Al Ittihad v JS Kabylie

January 8, 2009 15:00 GMT Champions' Cup 3rd–4th Place Play-off

Al Ittihad	1 – 1	JS Kabylie
Ali Rahuma  20' Mohammad Za'abia 90+1'		Adlène Bensaid  79'

11 June Stadium, Tripoli Referee: Qasim Belnasir

There was an ongoing feud as to who would take 3rd place. Ittihad were originally given 3rd place as JS Kabylie did not play a penalty shootout, as they claim they won the tie on away goals. The Algerian club also said that Ittihad had an unfair advantage playing at home in a one-off match. As a result, UNAF met on January 19 to discuss the case. The UNAF later decided that the two clubs would share 3rd place, and therefore share the $75,000 prize fund.^[43]

References

1. Groups and Standings FIFA Retrieved 2009-05-07
2. FIFA Match Report
3. FIFA Match Report
4. CHAN 2009 roll call complete CAF Retrieved on 11 May 2009. Archived 2009-06-11.
5. "CHAN draw concluded today 26 of December 2008". CAF. 2008-12-26. Retrieved 2008-12-26.
6. "Officials for Match 3 and 4". CAF. 2009-02-23. Retrieved 2009-05-11.
7. "Officials for Match 7 and 8". CAF. 2009-02-25. Retrieved 2009-05-11.
8. "Officials for Match 11 and 12". CAF. 2009-03-01. Retrieved 2009-05-11.
9. Tripoli Post (2009-02-01). "Al-Ahli Hit CAF Champions League Opponents for Six". Tripoli Post. Archived from the original on 2009-06-02. Retrieved 2009-04-26.
10. "Fixtures and officials: Champions League". CAFonline.com. 2008-01-23. Archived from the original on 2009-06-02. Retrieved 2009-04-19.
11. Tripoli Post (2009-02-16). "Al-Ahli Tripoli Qualify Comfortably Despite Away Loss". Tripoli Post. Retrieved 2009-04-26.
12. Tripoli Post (2009-02-02). "Away Success for Al-Ahli of Benghazi, Khaleej Sirte in Confederation Cup". Tripoli Post. Retrieved 2009-04-26.
13. "Fixtures and officials: Confederation Cup". CAFonline.com. 2008-01-23. Retrieved 2009-04-19.
14. Tripoli Post (2009-02-16). "Penalty Shoot-out Quaifies Benghazi's Al-Ahli; Easy for Khaleej Sirte". Tripoli Post. Retrieved 2009-04-26.
15. Tripoli Post (2009-03-16). "Pleasant Surprise as Al-Ahli Tripoli Beat JS Kabylie in Algeria". Tripoli Post. Retrieved 2009-04-26.
16. "Fixtures and officials of CAF Champions League". CAFonline.com. 2008-03-10. Archived from the original on 13 March 2009. Retrieved 2009-04-19.
17. Tripoli Post (2009-04-05). "Al-Ahli Tripoli Achieve Double to Ease into Last 16". Tripoli Post. Retrieved 2009-04-26.
18. Tripoli Post (2009-04-06). "Al-Ahli Tripoli's Success Pits Them Against Etoile du Sahel in Next Round of CAF Champions League". Tripoli Post. Retrieved 2009-04-26.
19. Tripoli Post (2009-03-14). "Al-Ittihad Held by Sudanese in CAF Champions League Home Tie". Tripoli Post. Retrieved 2009-04-26.
20. Tripoli Post (2009-03-16). "Benghazi's Al-Ahli Disappoint in convincing Defeat in Tunisia". Tripoli Post. Retrieved 2009-04-26.
21. "Fixtures and officials: Confederation Cup". CAFonline.com. 2008-03-10. Archived from the original on 13 March 2009. Retrieved 2009-04-19.
22. Tripoli Post (2009-04-05). "Benghazi's Al-Ahli and Khaleej Sirte Eliminated". Tripoli Post. Retrieved 2009-04-26.
23. Tripoli Post (2009-03-14). "Khaleej Sirte Lose Confederation Cup Home Leg". Tripoli Post. Retrieved 2009-04-26.
24. Tripoli Post (2009-04-22). "Al-Ahli Tripoli Miss a Penalty in Home CAF Champions League Tie with ESS". Tripoli Post. Retrieved 2009-04-26.
25. "Fixtures and officials: Champions League". CAFonline.com. 2008-04-07. Archived from the original on 10 April 2009. Retrieved 2009-04-19.
26. Tripoli Post (2009-05-03). "Libya's Al-Ahli Tripoli Crash Out of CAF Champions League; So do Reigning Champions". CAFonline.com. Retrieved 2009-05-04.
27. CAF (2009-05-06). "Draw of the 2nd Round of 16 of CC 2009" (PDF). CAFonline.com. Retrieved 2009-05-14.
28. CAF (2009-05-13). "Match fixtures : CAF Confederation Cup". CAFonline.com. Archived from the original on 17 May 2009. Retrieved 2009-05-28.
29. CAF (2009-05-27). "Match fixtures : CAF Confederation Cup". CAFonline.com. Archived from the original on 31 May 2009. Retrieved 2009-05-28.
30. Tripoli Post (2008-10-15). "Al-Ittihad Once Again Take Advantage of Al-Ahli's Absence to Take Control". Tripoli Post. Retrieved 2009-05-15.
31. DPA (2009-05-15). "الحدود المصري يتعادل مع مضيفه أهلي طرابلس ويقترب من دور الثمانية بالكونفيدرالية - Haras al Hodood gain away draw at Ahly Tripoli and are one step closer to the CAF Confederation Cup group stages". kooora.com. Retrieved 2009-05-19.
32. DPA (2009-05-31). حرس الحدود وإنبي المصريان في دور الثمانية لبطولة الكونفيدرالية [Egyptian clubs Haras al Hodood and ENPPI qualify for CAF Confederation Cup Group Stage] (in Arabic). kooora.com. Retrieved 2009-05-31.
33. Tripoli Post (2009-06-07). "Last-Gasp Goal KOs Al-Ahli Tripoli from CAF Competition". Tripoli Post. Archived from the original on 2009-06-10. Retrieved 2009-06-07.
34. CAF (2009-05-27). "Fixtures and match officials: CAF Confederation Cup". CAFonline.com. Archived from the original on 31 May 2009. Retrieved 2009-05-29.
35. al Matairi, Omar (2009-08-16). "Arab Champions League 2008-09 - Draw for Round of 32" (in Arabic). kooora.com. Retrieved 2009-04-27.
36. Tripoli Post (2009-11-01). "Libya's Arab Champions League Representatives Draw Ties Against Tunisian Opposition". Tripoli Post. Retrieved 2009-04-27.
37. DPA (2008-10-29). "US Monastirienne draw with Al Ittihad of Libya in Arab Champions League Tie" (in Arabic). kooora.com. Retrieved 2009-04-27.
38. Tripoli Post (2009-11-27). "Tunisian Clubs Halt Libyans’ March in Arab Champions League". Tripoli Post. Retrieved 2009-04-27.
39. DPA (2008-11-26). "US Monastirienne and ES Tunis defeat Libyan representatives" (in Arabic). kooora.com. Retrieved 2009-04-27.
40. DPA (2008-10-29). "ES Tunis draw with Al Ittihad of Libya in Arab Champions League Tie" (in Arabic). kooora.com. Retrieved 2009-04-27.
41. al Kadawi, Ayoob (2008-12-03). "Maghreb Fez defeat Khaleej Sirte and qualify for semi-finals" (in Arabic). kooora.com. Retrieved 2009-04-27.
42. Tripoli Post (2008-12-26). "Al-Ittihad Fail in Bid to Reach Final of North African Competition". Tripoli Post. Retrieved 2009-04-27.
43. Sheikhy, Mohammad (2009-01-10). "FNAF to meet on January 19 to discuss case for 3rd place prize fund" (in Arabic). kooora.com. Retrieved 2009-04-27.