Libyan national futsal team player, Ayman Al-Nagrish, died after getting infected with malaria in a match at the 2021 Minifootball Africa Cup of Nations,  Youth and Sports Authority said, adding that several other team members (16 persons) - including the coach - were also infected with malaria.

The infected team members said their management told them they didn't have to take malaria jabs before traveling to Nigeria according to advice of the National Center for Disease Control, adding that they were lodged in terrible accommodation where they got stung by mosquitoes carrying malaria.

The Libyan Minister of Sports Abdelshafie Al-Juwaifi, ordered an investigation into the incident to bring the negligent people to justice, while Prime Minister Abdul-Hamid Dbeibah offered condolences to the family of the dead player and vowed to continue probing the incident.

The Libyan team was stranded in Nigeria for some time before the Minister of Sports managed to book them a flight to Egypt then Libya.

The Libyan futsal team played the final match of the tournament and lost 0-1 to Egypt and finished second. Libya's player Mohammed Khamis won best player of the tournament award.

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