Libya counts on Nations Cup

Business of sport: Just as Nelson Mandela managed to unify South Africa when hosting the Africa Cup of Nations in 1996, Libya is hoping for the same result when the country holds the tournament in 2017.

This 60,000-seat stadium under construction in Tripoli is of the six venues that would be employed for the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations in Libya. Mahmud Tukia / AFP

Just as Nelson Mandela managed to unify South Africa when hosting the Africa Cup of Nations in 1996, Libya is hoping for the same result when the country holds the tournament in 2017.

Libya is ramping up its infrastructure projects to be finished in time. This year the government is investing 400 million Libyan dinars (Dh1.13 billion) to build 11 stadiums before then.

Libya currently has four stadiums, with plans to build two more this year. The first new stadium is to be built in Tripoli and will have a capacity of 60,000 seats while the second in Misurata will hold 23,000 spectators.

"We will resume construction of these stadiums in June ... " said Awad Ibrahim Al Barasi, the Libyan deputy prime minister. "The 42 years of regime destroyed everything. It was 42 years of destruction. Many people left the country. We spend most of our time on the problems left by the old regime. Now we are spending the next five years on these projects and enforcing plans, putting together a vision of what we can do in health, education and infrastructure."

Libya was initially scheduled to host this year's Africa Cup of Nations, but was forced to swap with South Africa given the continuing unrest. Last month, the Confederation of African Football authorised Libya to hold the 2017 tournament and the country is determined to meet all the requirements to maintain the hosting rights.

It will be the first time the country has hosted the event since 1982, when the national team finished as runners-up.

Libya's capability to hold the event has raised concerns given the precarious security situation in the country since the downfall of Muammar Qaddafi's regime in 2011.

"The ministry of interior is a member of the committee, so we are taking care of the security issues. The security situation is exaggerated from reality. We're actually in a much better position than many of our neighbours," said Mr Al Barasi.

The government recently approved a 19bn Libyan dinar budget to spend in the next eight months on projects to help rebuild the country and revive the economy.

Mr Al Barasi expressed the need for regulatory changes to attract more foreign investment and private-sector investment in Libya.

"In Libya now we have a huge amount of cash, but everything is being done by the government. They should give [projects] to the private sector," he said. "But the regulations and laws we have need to be changed."