National Telescope national telescope newspaper
By Alimi Micheal, KWARA|
Nigeria’s Super Eagles have announced they will boycott their Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier against Libya, originally scheduled for Tuesday, after being stranded at a Libyan airport for over 12 hours.
The team, along with their officials, flew out of Nigeria on Sunday night but found themselves diverted to the Al Abraq Airport instead of their intended destination, Benghazi.
This unexpected change left them more than 200 kilometers away from their accommodation.
In a statement released by the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF), it was confirmed that the players and officials were left stranded at Al Abraq throughout the night. Some players reported that they were left without food or water during the ordeal.
The NFF said, “The delegation of Nigeria to Tuesday’s 2025 AFCON qualifier against Libya remained at the Al Abraq Airport for 12 hours after landing in Libya.”
The NFF further explained that the chartered aircraft, which was supposed to land in Benghazi, was diverted last minute to Al Abraq, an airport primarily used for hajj operations.
“Fatigued players and officials were left stranded as the Libyan Football Federation failed to send a reception team or vehicles to transport the delegation members to their hotel, which is reportedly three hours away in Benghazi,” the statement continued.
Nigerian defender William Troost-Ekong took to social media to express his frustration.
“12+ hours in an abandoned airport in Libya after our plane was diverted while descending. The Libyan government rescinded our approved landing in Benghazi with no explanation,” he tweeted.
He also criticized the conditions at the airport, stating, “They’ve locked the airport gates and left us without phone connection, food, or drink. All to play mind games.”
Troost-Ekong added that even the pilot was shocked by the situation.
“The Tunisian pilot, who managed the last-minute diversion, had never seen anything like this before. He was denied hotel accommodation for the Nigerian crew members, and they were forced to sleep on the plane.”
In a strong statement, he called for intervention from the Nigerian government, saying, “As the captain, together with the team, we have decided that we will NOT play this game. CAF should investigate what’s happening here. Even if they award the points to Libya, we will not risk traveling by road, as it’s not safe.”
The Super Eagles are now making arrangements to fly back to Nigeria, refusing to continue with the match.
“We respect ourselves and our opponents when they come to Nigeria. But what we’ve experienced here is beyond football,” Troost-Ekong concluded.
The situation has raised concerns about the safety and treatment of teams during international competitions across Africa.
