diff --git a/libcontainer/specconv/spec_linux.go b/libcontainer/specconv/spec_linux.go
index a1579892..f68cac01 100644
--- a/libcontainer/specconv/spec_linux.go
+++ b/libcontainer/specconv/spec_linux.go
@@ -325,7 +325,7 @@ func createCgroupConfig(opts *CreateOpts) (*configs.Cgroup, error) {
 			// for e.g. "system.slice:docker:1234"
 			parts := strings.Split(myCgroupPath, ":")
 			if len(parts) != 3 {
-				return nil, fmt.Errorf("expected cgroupsPath to be of format \"slice:prefix:name\" for systemd cgroups")
+				return nil, fmt.Errorf("expected cgroupsPath to be of format \"slice:prefix:name\" for systemd cgroups, got %q instead", myCgroupPath)
 			}
 			c.Parent = parts[0]
 			c.ScopePrefix = parts[1]