| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 25 May 1973 | ||
| Place of birth | Tripoli, Libya | ||
| Height | 1.84 m (6 ft 1⁄2 in) | ||
| Playing position | Forward | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2000–2001 | Alahly Tripoli | 74 | (3) |
| 2001–2003 | Al-Ittihad Tripoli | 74 | (20) |
| 2003–2004 | Perugia | 1 | (0) |
| 2005–2006 | Udinese | 1 | (0) |
| 2006–2007 | Sampdoria | 0 | (0) |
| Total | 76 | (23) | |
| National team | |||
| 2000–2006 | Libya | 18 | (2) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals). |
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Al-Saadi Gaddafi (Arabic: الساعدي معمر القذافي; born 25 May 1973), is the third son of former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi. He is a Libyan businessman and former football player. He was the commander of Libya's Special Forces and was involved in the 2011 Libyan civil war.[1] An Interpol notice (red notice) has been issued against him.[2] He was a part of his father's inner circle.[3]
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Gaddafi is known for his involvement in Libyan football. On 6 June 2000, the BBC reported that Gaddafi had signed with Maltese champions Birkirkara F.C. and would play for them in the Champions League.[4] The move failed to materialize.
Libyan football was arranged to favor Saadi. One law forbade announcing the name of any football player with the exception of Saadi. Only numbers of other players were announced. Referees favored Saadi's club and security forces were used to silence protests.[5][6]
He signed for Italian Serie A team Perugia in 2003, employing Diego Maradona as his technical consultant and Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson as his personal trainer.[7] He made only one substitute appearance before failing a drug test. He was formerly on the board of the Italian team Juventus, of which 7.5% is owned by a Libyan consortium, but stepped down to join Perugia.
He was also captain of the Libya national football team, captain of his home club in Tripoli, and president of the Libyan Football Federation.[8]
Gaddafi joined UEFA Champions League qualifiers Udinese Calcio in 2005–06, playing only ten 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.
| Club performance | League | Cup | League Cup | Continental | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Club | League | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| Italy | League | Coppa Italia | League Cup | Europe | Total | |||||||
| 2003-04 | Perugia | Serie A | 1 | 0 | ||||||||
| 2004-05 | Serie B | 0 | 0 | |||||||||
| 2005-06 | Udinese | Serie A | 1 | 0 | ||||||||
| 2006-07 | Sampdoria | Serie A | 0 | 0 | ||||||||
| Total | Italy | 2 | 0 | |||||||||
| Career total | 2 | 0 | ||||||||||
In 2006, Gaddafi and the Libyan Government launched a project to create a semi-autonomous city similar to Hong Kong in Libya, stretching 40 km between Tripoli and the Tunisian border. The proposed new city would become a high tech, banking, medical and educational center not requiring visas to enter the new city. 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 the new city. The new city would have "Western style" business laws that he thought European and American companies would find welcoming and familiar.[9]
Gaddafi used to take great interest in the affairs of many of Libya's other business interests like Tamoil, the oil refining and marketing company owned by the Libyan government, before the overthrowing of the regime.[9]
In July 2010, Gaddafi was ordered by an Italian court to pay 392,000 Euros to a luxurious Ligurian hotel for an unpaid bill dating back to a month-long stay in the summer of 2007.[10]
Saadi is married to the daughter of a Libyan military commander.[11]
A US diplomatic cable in 2009 called Saadi the black sheep of Gaddafi's family. It mentioned scuffles with European police, "abuse of drugs and alcohol, excessive partying" and "profligate affairs with men and women".[12] Saadi's bisexuality had partly prompted the arrangement of his marriage to the commander's daughter, the cable said.[13] Gay pornography was reportedly found among Saadi's possessions when his home was ransacked by looters after the fall of Tripoli.[14]
On 15 March, there were unconfirmed reports that a pilot by the name of Muhammad Mokhtar Osman attacked the Gaddafi stronghold of Bab al-Azizia in Tripoli damaging it and injuring Saadi and his brother Khamis Gaddafi.
Speaking to BBC Panorama, a Libyan soldier claimed that Saadi had personally ordered to shoot unarmed protesters in Benghazi when visiting the city's army barracks at the beginning of the uprising. Saadi confirmed that he had been at the barracks but denied giving orders to fire on protesters.[15]
Saadi was the driving force behind a change in the tactics of the Libyan government forces. Instead of fighting the rebels with heavy infantry, tanks and armored cars — which could easily be distinguished from the rebels and then destroyed by allied fighter jets — the fight against the rebels was pursued with small, fast and versatile units.[16]
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, Al-Saadi contacted CNN, stating that he had the authority to negotiate on behalf of loyalist forces, and wished to discuss a ceasefire with US and NATO authorities.[17] A week later he contacted Al Arabiya, stating his father was ready to step down, and called for dialogue with the National Transitional Council.[18]
On 5 September, he 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, and said he had not seen his father in two months. He also claimed a position of neutrality in the conflict and offered to mediate.[19]
On 11 September, Saadi fled to Niger and was allowed entrance on humanitarian grounds.[20][21] According to the government of Niger, they plan to detain Al-Saadi while determining what to do with him.[22] Al-Saadi Gaddafi had also been trying to assemble a team to transport him to Barbados or Venezuela.[23]
On 29 September, an Interpol red notice was issued for Saadi. Brigi Rafini, the prime minister of Niger said he would not allow Saadi to be extradited.[12]
On 11 November, Niger's President Mahamadou Issoufou said his government had decided to grant Al-Saadi Gaddafi asylum "on humanitarian grounds".[24]
On 7 December the Mexican interior secretary said that Mexican intelligence agents broke up a smuggling ring attempting to bring Al-Saadi into Mexico under a false name.[25]
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