Johannesburg, March 26 (DPA) The Libyan under-23 football team is to play a qualifier for the 2012 Olympics in South Africa Sunday - having overcome great odds to make it.

With air-traffic having virtually grounded to a standstill due to the ongoing conflict, the squad had to travel several hundred kilometres by road to the Tunisian capital of Tunis.

From there they had to fly to Europe, before catching flights to South Africa, where they are expected to touch-down early Saturday for the game in the Sinaba Stadium in Daveyton on the outskirts of Johannesburg.

The Libyans are expected to be granted visas at the airport as the South African embassy in the Libyan capital Tripoli was not fully functioning due to the unrest and the players could thus not receive visas in Libya.

The return legs are scheduled for early April, but it seems unlikely that the South African team will travel to the country because of the unrest.