Saadi Gaddafi
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Al-Saadi Muammar Gaddafi , also spelt as Al-Saadi Moammer Al-Gaddafi ( ar, الساعدي معمر القذافي; born 25 May 1973) is a Libyan retired professional
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
player. He captained the national team, but his career was widely attributed to the influence of his father
Muammar Gaddafi Muammar Muhammad Abu Minyar al-Gaddafi, . Due to the lack of standardization of transcribing written and regionally pronounced Arabic, Gaddafi's name has been romanized in various ways. A 1986 column by ''The Straight Dope'' lists 32 spellin ...
, the country's supreme leader. In 2011, Gaddafi was the commander of Libya's Special Forces and participated in the Libyan Civil War. An Interpol notice was issued against him in 2011. In March 2014, he was arrested in Niger and extradited to Libya, where he faced murder charges, which he was cleared of in 2018. In August 2015, a video surfaced allegedly showing him being tortured. He was released in September 2021 and left for Turkey.


Football career

Gaddafi is known for his participation in Libyan football, which was arranged in his favour. One law forbade announcing the name of any football player with the exception of Gaddafi. Only numbers of other players were announced. Referees favoured Gaddafi's club and security forces were used to silence protests. On 6 June 2000, the BBC reported that Gaddafi had signed with Maltese champions
Birkirkara F.C. Birkirkara Football Club is a professional football club based in the town of Birkirkara, on the island of Malta. The club was formed in 1950, following the amalgamation of Birkirkara United and Birkirkara Celtic. Birkirkara currently play in ...
and would play for them in the Champions League. The move failed to materialize. In 2003, he signed for Italian Serie A team Perugia, employing Diego Maradona as his technical consultant and Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson as his personal trainer. He made only one substitute appearance against Juventus for Perugia before failing a drug test, due to presence in his system of the illegal substance Nandrolone. An article in '' la Repubblica'' said that "Even at twice his current speed he would still be twice as slow as slow itself." He was also captain of the Libya national football team, captain of his home club in Tripoli, and president of the Libyan Football Federation. Gaddafi joined UEFA Champions League qualifiers Udinese Calcio in 2005–06, playing only 10 minutes in an end-of-season league match against Cagliari Calcio. He joined U.C. Sampdoria during season 2006–07, without playing a single match.


Business activities

In 2006, Al-Saadi Gaddafi and the Jamahiriya government launched a project to create a semi-autonomous city similar to Hong Kong in Libya, stretching 40 km between
Tripoli Tripoli or Tripolis may refer to: Cities and other geographic units Greece *Tripoli, Greece, the capital of Arcadia, Greece * Tripolis (region of Arcadia), a district in ancient Arcadia, Greece * Tripolis (Larisaia), an ancient Greek city in ...
and the Tunisian border. The proposed new city would become a high tech, banking, medical and educational center not requiring
visas Visa most commonly refers to: * Visa Inc., a US multinational financial and payment cards company ** Visa Debit card issued by the above company ** Visa Electron, a debit card ** Visa Plus, an interbank network *Travel visa, a document that allo ...
to enter. The city would have its own international airport and a major seaport. Gaddafi promised religious tolerance with both "synagogues and churches" and no discrimination in this new metropolis. The new city would have "Western-style" business laws that Saadi thought European and American companies would find welcoming and familiar. Gaddafi used to take great interest in the affairs of many of Libya's other business interests like
Tamoil Tamoil is the trading name of the Oilinvest Group, a fuel energy provider within the European downstream oil and gas sector. The Oilinvest Group refines crude oil and markets refined oil products primarily under the Tamoil and the HEM brands in ...
, the oil refining and marketing company owned by the Libyan government, before the overthrow of the regime.


Italian lawsuit

In July 2010, Gaddafi was ordered by an Italian court to pay €392,000 to a luxurious Ligurian hotel for an unpaid bill dating back to a month-long stay in the summer of 2007.


Personal life

Gaddafi is married to the daughter of al-Khweildi al-Hmeidi, a Libyan military commander. In 2009, a U.S. diplomatic cable called Gaddafi "the black sheep" of Muammar Gaddafi's family. It mentioned scuffles with European police, "abuse of drugs and alcohol, excessive partying" and "profligate affairs with women and men". Gaddafi's bisexuality had partly prompted the arrangement of his marriage to the commander's daughter, the cable said. Saadi was having a relationship with Bulgarian national Dafinka Mircheva.


2011 to present


Libyan civil war

On 27 February 2011, Saadi was interviewed by
Christiane Amanpour Christiane Maria Heideh AmanpourStated on ''Finding Your Roots'', 22 January 2019 (; fa, کریستیان امان‌پور, Kristiane Amānpur; born 12 January 1958) is a British-Iranian journalist and television host. Amanpour is the Chief ...
on ABC News, where he warned of imminent civil war and that if his father left Libya, the power vacuum would only lead to more chaos. He also stated that he was looking for a lawyer to fight the travel ban against him levied by UN Security Council Resolution 1970. On 15 March 2011, there were unconfirmed reports that a pilot by the name of Muhammad Mokhtar Osman had flown his jet into the Gaddafi stronghold of
Bab al-Azizia Bab al-Azizia (, , ) is a military barracks and compound situated in the southern suburbs of Tripoli, the capital of Libya. It served as the main base for the Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi until its capture by anti-Gaddafi forces on 23 August 20 ...
in Tripoli damaging it and injuring him and his brother Khamis. Speaking to BBC Panorama, a former Jamahiriya soldier claimed that Gaddafi had personally ordered to shoot unarmed protesters in Benghazi when visiting the city's army barracks at the beginning of the uprising. Gaddafi confirmed that he had been at the barracks but denied giving orders to fire on protesters. Gaddafi was reportedly the driving force behind a change in fighting tactics of the government's forces. Instead of using heavy infantry, tanks and armored cars – which could easily be distinguished from the Free Libyan Army and then destroyed by allied fighter jets – the fight against the rebels was pursued with small, fast and versatile units. The rebels claimed that they captured him during the Battle of Tripoli, on 21 August, but later the claim turned out to be false. On 24 August, Gaddafi contacted CNN, stating that he had the authority to negotiate on behalf of loyalist forces, and wished to discuss a ceasefire with U.S. and NATO authorities. A week later he contacted Al Arabiya, stating his father was ready to step down, and called for dialogue with the National Transitional Council. On 5 September, Gaddafi said in an interview with CNN that an "aggressive" speech by his brother Saif al-Islam had led to the breakdown of talks between NTC forces and Gaddafi loyalists in
Bani Walid Bani Walid (Anglicized: ; ar, بني وليد, Banī Walīd, Libyan pronunciation: ) is a city in Libya located in the Misrata District. Prior to 2007, it was the capital of Sof-Aljeen District. Bani Walid has an airport. Under the Libyan Ar ...
, and said he had not seen his father in two months. Gaddafi also claimed a position of neutrality in the conflict and offered to mediate.


Flight to Niger

On 11 September 2011, Gaddafi fled to Niger with the help of his Australian bodyguard, Gary Peters, and was allowed entrance on humanitarian grounds. According to the government of Niger, they planned to detain Gaddafi while determining what to do with him. Peters had also been trying to assemble a team to smuggle Saadi to Barbados or Venezuela. On 29 September 2011, an Interpol red notice was issued for Gaddafi.
Brigi Rafini Brigi Rafini (born 7 April 1953) is a Nigerien politician who served as the Prime Minister of Niger from 2011 to 2021. A native of Iférouane in Agadez Region and an ethnic Tuareg,Mahamadou Issoufou said his government had decided to grant Gaddafi asylum "on humanitarian grounds". On 7 December 2011, the Mexican interior secretary said that Mexican intelligence agents broke up a smuggling ring attempting to bring Gaddafi into Mexico under a false name. On 10 February 2012, Saadi called into
Al-Arabiya Arabiya ( ar, العربية, transliterated: '; meaning "The Arabic One" or "The Arab One") is an international Arabic news television channel, currently based in Dubai, that is operated by the media conglomerate MBC. The channel is a flag ...
television by phone, where he claimed that he was in contact with Libyan tribes, militias, the NTC, the national army, and other members of the Gaddafi family from his hideout in Niger. He also claimed that a large-scale Gaddafi loyalist uprising was imminent, that the NTC was not legitimate, and that he was ready to return to Libya "at any minute." On 3 July 2012, the '' Washington Post'' reported that Saadi and his entourage had been dining out regularly at upscale restaurants and frequenting nightclubs in Niamey despite Niger's government claim that he was under house arrest. It was also reported that the state guesthouse he was allegedly under house arrest in was in fact "a luxurious, high-walled mansion in one of the city's most affluent neighborhoods, near the U.S. and French embassies."


Extradition and torture allegations

On 5 March 2014, Libya announced that Gaddafi had been extradited by Niger and was in Tripoli. His lawyer, Nick Kaufman, protested about the move stating "extradition suggests that this was a legal process where Saadi Gadhafi was accorded a lawyer, a court hearing, and…it's not even clear to me that that even took place". In May 2015, Gaddafi appeared in a Tripoli court and was formally charged with unlawful imprisonment and murder for the 2005 killing of football player and coach
Bashir al-Riani Bashir or Basheer or the francicized Bachir or Bechir ( ar, بشير) is a male given name. Derived from Arabic, it means "the one who brings good news". It is also a surname. Bashir may refer to: Mononym *Bashir I, Lebanese emir of the Shihab ...
. In early August 2015, video surfaced that appeared to show a blindfolded Gaddafi being forced to listen to other men allegedly being tortured in the next room. Then the guards beat the man appearing to be Gaddafi on the feet as he screams, after asking him if preferred to be beaten on the feet or on his buttocks. "It does appear to be Saadi Gaddafi," one of his lawyers,
Melinda Taylor Melinda Taylor is an Australian criminal lawyer who was arrested and detained in Libya in 2012 after being assigned by the International Criminal Court to defend Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, the son of Muammar Gaddafi. Early life and education Taylor ...
, told RT. "He looks the same in sense hathis head ... ad beenshaved which happened to him last year." No legal team appears to be present. International human rights groups and activists condemned the video, which appeared to take place at al-Hadba prison in Tripoli, and was first released by Arabic network Clear News. "This is a shocking video that raises questions about conditions inside the prison," said
Karim Khan Mohammad Karim Khan Zand ( fa, محمدکریم خان زند, Mohammad Karīm Khân-e Zand; ) was the founder of the Zand Dynasty, ruling from 1751 to 1779. He ruled all of Iran (Name of Iran, Persia) except for Khorasan Province, Khorasan. He ...
, a British attorney who represents Libya's former prime minister
Baghdadi Mahmudi Baghdadi Ali Mahmudi ( ar, البغدادي علي المحمودي) (born 1945) is a Libyan politician who was Secretary of the General People's Committee (prime minister) of Libya from 5 March 2006 to as late as 1 September 2011, when he acknowl ...
, who is also at al-Hadba. "The international community needs to demand a full investigation." In June 2017, Haitham Tajouri's Tripoli Revolutionaries' Brigade seized al-Hadba prison and relocated senior Gaddafi regime figures, including Saadi, to the
Radisson Blu Al Mahary Hotel Tripoli The Radisson Blu Al Mahary Hotel Tripoli is a modern tourist hotel in Tripoli, Libya, near Grand Hotel Tripoli. Data & History It was built in 1989 and completely remodeled in 2009 to international standards as part of Radisson Hotels. It is l ...
. An appeals court on 3 April 2018 cleared Saadi from the charge of murdering the footballer Bashir. He was however fined 500 Libyan dinars and a suspended one-year prison term for drinking and possessing alcohol.


Release and alleged exile to Turkey

As of 5 September 2021, he has been released from custody from al-Hadaba prison and left for Turkey, but Turkey's foreign ministry claimed it had "no knowledge" of Saadi's presence in Istanbul. On 10 September 2021,
Moussa Ibrahim Moussa Ibrahim Gaddafi ( ar, موسى إبراهيم ; Romanization of Arabic, romanized also as ''Mussa'' and ''Musa'', born 7 December 1974) is a libyans, Libyan political figure who rose to international attention in 2011 as Muammar Gaddafi' ...
confirmed that Saadi was in Turkey and that Egypt and Saudi Arabia had also offered to host Saadi. It was claimed that Saadi's captors denied him the appropriate medical care. On 27 May 2022, the Panel of Experts on Libya submitted a report to the UN Security Council accusing Turkey of shielding Saadi from the Interpol and deliberately violating UN's Libya resolutions. Turkey declined to answer inquiries from UN investigators regarding Saadi's whereabouts.


See also

* List of sportspeople sanctioned for doping offences


References


External links

*
Gaddafi set to quit Udinese
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gaddafi, Al-Saadi 1973 births Living people Libyan people of Bosnia and Herzegovina descent Libyan people of Croatian descent Libyan people of Hungarian descent Libya international footballers Libyan expatriate footballers Al-Ittihad Club (Tripoli) players Al-Saadi Doping cases in association football Libyan footballers Libyan sportspeople in doping cases People from Tripoli A.C. Perugia Calcio players Al-Ahli SC (Tripoli) players Serie A players U.C. Sampdoria players Udinese Calcio players Children of national leaders People extradited from Niger People extradited to Libya Libyan military personnel Association football forwards Expatriate footballers in Italy Libyan expatriate sportspeople in Italy Libyan Premier League players