By Jacob Ajom
There are mounting fears over the fate of the 2011 African Youth Championship billed to begin in March in the North African country of Libya following persistent protests by pro-democracy forces in that country.

The Nigeria Football Federation has said that the situation in Libya is worrisome and it is monitoring reports from that country.

In a telephone chat with Sports Vanguard Media officer of the NFF, Ademola Olajire said “we are aware of the developments in that country and we have been talking to the Nigerian embassy in that country, talking with CAF and other countries billed to participate in the tournament.

He said the football house is concerned about the lives of the players and had been abreast of what was happening in that country.

“The tournament is still three weeks away and so far, CAF has not approached us with any new proposal,”Olajire said in answer to whether the continental body was thinking of another possible host.

Hundreds of demonstrators were said to have been killed over the weekend as the protesters pressed for reforms and a change of the 42-year old regime of Colonel Moamar Ghadafi.

Independent sources reported of massive shootings at the weekend as protesters engaged the regime’s security forces on the streets of Libya’s second largest city, Benghazi.

A BBC report has it that security forces fired live ammunition and tear gas on protesters in the streets of Tripoli late on Sunday.

The Confederation of African Football, CAF is yet to make any categorical statement on the crisis in Libya but it is feared that many African countries may boycott the tournament if the crisis persists.