Lawyer and activist Issam Al-Tajouri said that the city of Benghazi hosting a match featuring a major European club, such as Inter Milan or Atlético Madrid, is not just a sporting event, but a true indicator of the condition of the city, the state, and the Libyan economy in general.
Al-Tajouri explained in a post on his Facebook page that the presence of a top-tier European club in Benghazi is “an international signal of on-the-ground stability and a security confidence that cannot be hoped for amidst chaos,” considering that such an event reflects the level of international confidence in the city’s security situation.
He noted that the economic aspect of such matches is no less important than their political symbolism, as “every goal scored in Benghazi’s stadium translates into liquidity in the market and activity in hotels, transportation, and services,” he said, stressing that this activity represents “a real recovery, not just banking promises on paper.”
Al-Tajouri added that the presence of international clubs in Benghazi “is not a charade as some might think,” stressing that “in politics, no global team would risk its reputation for a photo opportunity, and in economics, no commercial brand enters a city without first ensuring its security and feasibility.”
He concluded by saying that Benghazi today is not seeking applause but “is imposing a new reality that proves it is capable of embracing the world, just as it embraced the nation in the harshest circumstances,” adding that “the anguish of some over these events may be because the world has returned to Libya through a gate they were never able to close.”