Nigeria’s football team will be flown back from Libya without playing their 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match following their alleged “inhumane treatment” in the host nation, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has said.
The team have been held at an abandoned airport in Libya for more than 17 hours since their chartered flight landed on Sunday, according to Nigeria’s captain, William Troost-Ekong.
The NFF is now making arrangements to fly them back to Nigeria before their match against Libya scheduled for Tuesday.
“The players have resolved not to play the match any longer as NFF officials are making plans to fly the team back home,” NFF spokesman Ademola Olajire said on Monday.
The team landed at Al Abraq International Airport on Sunday night and were meant to travel by road to the match venue in Benina, south of the Libyan capital, Tripoli.
Troost-Ekong said the team will not play the game and they will not make a three-hour bus ride from Al-Abraq to Benina for safety reasons.
“As the team captain together with the team we have decided that we will NOT play this game,” he wrote in a series of social media posts describing the team’s stay at the airport.
“Let them have the points,” he added, indicating that his team may lose points if the fixture is considered a forfeit by the Confederation of African Football (CAF).
Troost-Ekong said the team’s aircraft was diverted while descending after the Libyan government allegedly rescinded their approved landing in Benghazi for “no reason”.
The Super Eagles captain posted photos of his teammates sleeping on seats in the deserted airport lounge.
“They’ve locked the airport gates and left us without phone connection, food or drink – all to play mind games,” he wrote.
“I have experienced stuff before playing away in Africa but this is disgraceful behaviour.”
12+ hours in an abandoned airport in Lybia after our plane was diverted whilst descending. Lybian government rescinded our approved landing in Benghazi with no reason. They’ve locked the airport gates and left us without phone connection, food or drink. All to play mind games.
— William Troost-Ekong (M.O.N) (@WTroostEkong) October 14, 2024
The NFF has lodged a formal complaint with the CAF, the regional football body.
The Nigerian embassy in Libya reportedly cannot intervene because it would need permission to do so from the Libyan government.
Former African footballer of the year Victor Ikpeba, who accompanied the team to Libya, has urged stiff sanctions against Libya and supported the decision to boycott the match.
“If CAF know their job, Libya ought to be banned from international football,” he told the AFP news agency.
“This is a high-risk country, and one really wonders who approved for Libya to be playing their games at home.
“I played for the Super Eagles for 10 years, and I never experienced what I have in Libya in the last hours.”
“The team are not safe. Those of us travelling with them are also not safe,” he added.
“We were locked up in an abandoned airport for more than 10 hours like hostages.”
On Friday, Nigeria beat Libya 1-0 at home in the southern city of Uyo.
They lead Group D with seven points from three matches while Libya are bottom of the standings on one point.
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