Benghazi’s pitch becomes a stage for Libya’s recovery

Libyan lawyer and activist Essam Al-Tajouri has said that hosting a football match in Benghazi featuring one of Europe’s top clubs — such as Inter Milan or Atlético Madrid — would not simply be a sporting occasion, but a powerful indication of the city’s and Libya’s broader stability and economic revival.

In a post published on his official Facebook page, Al-Tajouri wrote that the arrival of a world-class European team in Benghazi would amount to “an international seal of approval for stability on the ground and a level of security that cannot be imagined amid chaos.”

He described such an event as a reflection of renewed international trust in Benghazi’s security climate.

Al-Tajouri also emphasised the economic importance of hosting global sporting fixtures, noting that “every goal scored in a Benghazi stadium translates into liquidity in the market and renewed activity across hotels, transport and services.”

He said this movement represents “a genuine economic revival – not just financial promises written on paper.”

Rejecting suggestions that such an event would be merely symbolic, the lawyer argued that no major football club would risk its reputation for a publicity stunt, adding: “In politics, reputations are not gambled with; and in economics, no international brand enters a city without confirming its safety and commercial viability.”

Concluding his remarks, Al-Tajouri asserted that Benghazi today is not seeking applause but asserting a new reality, proving that “it is capable of welcoming the world just as it once embraced the nation in its most difficult moments.”

He added that “the discomfort some people express about such events may stem from the fact that the world has returned to Libya through the very gate they could never close.”