The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) confirmed on Monday that their national team returned home after facing what they described as "inhumane treatment" in Libya before a 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier.
According to the NFF, the Nigerian delegation left Al-Abraq Airport at 3:05 PM, heading for Kano and then to Abuja. Ademola Olajire, the NFF's director of communications, shared a detailed statement describing the team’s difficult experience in Libya, blaming the Libyan authorities and Football Federation for turning the highly anticipated match into a disaster.
The Nigerian team was stranded at an abandoned airport in Libya for over 20 hours after their chartered flight, meant to land in Benghazi, was diverted to Al-Abraq, 230 km away. Nigeria has filed a formal complaint with the Confederation of African Football (CAF), whose disciplinary board is now investigating the matter.
Team captain William Troost-Ekong said the team refused to take a three-hour bus ride to Benina, where the match was supposed to take place, due to safety concerns. He shared on social media, "As a team, we have decided not to play this game. Let them have the points. It's not safe to travel by road here, and we can't trust the accommodations or food if we stayed."
CAF expressed serious concern over the Nigerian team's ordeal and assured that action would be taken against those who violated CAF regulations. Both the Libyan and Nigerian authorities were contacted by CAF for further information.
The Libyan Football Federation denied any wrongdoing, stating they had "utmost respect" for Nigeria and rejecting any claims of foul play or sabotage. They insisted that the incident did not reflect their values or principles.
The team are not safe
Former African footballer of the year, Victor Ikpeba, who traveled with the Nigerian team to Libya, has called for strict penalties against Libya and supported the team's decision to boycott the match.
“If CAF is doing its job, Libya should be banned from international football,” he told AFP. “Libya is a high-risk country, and it’s surprising that they were allowed to host games at home. I played for the Super Eagles for 10 years and never experienced anything like what happened in Libya.”
He added, “The team isn't safe, and neither are those of us traveling with them. We were held at an abandoned airport for more than 10 hours, like hostages. The team will stand firm and not play this match.”
On Friday, Nigeria had beaten Libya 1-0 in Uyo. Nigeria currently leads Group D with seven points from three matches, while Libya is at the bottom with one point.
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