Players from Nigeria have decided to boycott their forthcoming African Cup of Nations qualifier, citing their 12-hour lock-up in a Libyan airport “without food or drink.”
The Super Eagles’ aircraft into the nation was rerouted to a lesser airport, where they were held for hours. The Super Eagles were scheduled to play Libya in an Afcon qualifier on Tuesday night, but they will now decline to play the match.
The Nigerian team, which included players from the Premier League including Wilfred Ndidi of Leicester, Ola Aina and Taiwo Awoniyi of Nottingham Forest, and Alex Iwobi and Calvin Bassey of Fulham, was supposed to land in Benghazi, but their jet was diverted to Al Albraq airport, which is almost two hours away.
Then, players complained on social media that the airport entrance was barred, there was no food or drink accessible, and Libyan authorities had not given transportation, leaving them stranded.
The Nigeran Football Federation (NFF), which refuted the Libyan players’ claims that their own players were mistreated in Nigeria before to the Super Eagles’ 1-0 victory over the weekend, has since issued a statement announcing their boycott of Tuesday’s game.
“The Nigerian delegation to Tuesday’s 2025 AFCON qualifier against Libya still remained at the Al Abraq Airport 12 hours after landing in Libya,” the NFF said in a statement.
Following their debunking of the Libyan players’ allegations that their own players were abused in Nigeria before to the Super Eagles’ 1-0 victory over the weekend, the Nigeran Football Federation (NFF) released a statement declaring their boycott of Tuesday’s match.
“The Nigerian delegation to Tuesday’s 2025 AFCON qualifier against Libya still remained at the Al Abraq Airport 12 hours after landing in Libya,” the Nigerian Football Federation said in a statement.
As the pilot was finishing his approach to the Benghazi Airport, the rented ValueJet aircraft was mysteriously and dangerously diverted to the little airport away from Benghazi. We are aware that the Al Abraq International Airport is exclusively utilized for Hajj pilgrimages.
The host Libyan Football Federation has not sent a welcoming team or even a vehicle to transport the delegation members from the airport to their accommodation, which is reportedly three hours away in Benghazi, leaving tired players and officials unimpressed.
“The NFF arranged for the crew to have separate vehicles, but the aircraft’s detour completely derailed the plan. While NFF officials arrange for the team to be flown home, players have decided to end the contest.
“After our plane was diverted while descending, we spent more than twelve hours in an abandoned airport in Libya,” writes Troost-Ekong. Without any justification, the Lybian administration cancelled our authorized landing in Benghazi. The airport gates have been locked, leaving us without food, drink, or a phone connection. all in an attempt to trick the mind.
“Playing away in Africa has given me some experiences in the past, but this is shameful behavior. This was something that even the Tunisian pilot, who was thankfully able to handle the last-minute change in airport where our plane was not supposed to land, had never seen before.
After arriving, he attempted to locate a nearby airport so that he and his crew could relax, but the government ordered them to be turned away from every hotel. Crew members from Nigeria were not permitted to sleep there, but he was. They have now gone back to sleep aboard the parked jet.
We have now pleaded with the Nigerian government to step in and save us. We have opted not to play this game as a team, including the captain. CAF ought to review the report and the current situation. even in the event that they consent.
“With this kind of behavior, give them the advantage. Even with security, we won’t accept to drive anywhere by car because it isn’t secure. If we kept on, we can only speculate about the quality of the food and hotel that we would receive. When our opponents are our guests in Nigeria, we treat them with the same respect that we do ourselves. Errors occur, but intentional misconduct has no bearing on international football.
