The Nigerian national male football team, Super Eagles, will not be playing their AFCON qualifying match against Libya in Benghazi after they were pulled out by the country’s football federation (NFF).
NFF’s decision came minutes after the players declared that they will not be playing their return leg fixtures against Libya over alleged unfair treatment from the host.
The football body announced its decision to pull the team out on Monday came after their host allegedly left both the players as well as officials stranded for barely 13 hours at an abandoned airport in the country.
In a statement made available to newsmen, NFF detailed how their host left them at an airport and never contacted the team despite efforts to inform them of their travel plans.
According to the statement, “Super Eagles still at Al Abraq Airport 12 hours after landing in Libya!
“The delegation of Nigeria to Tuesday’s 2025 AFCON qualifier against Libya still remained at the Al Abraq Airport 12 hours after landing in Libya.
“The chartered ValueJet aircraft was, strangely and in a dangerous manner, diverted to the small airport away from Benghazi just as the pilot was completing his approach to the Benghazi Airport. We understand the Al Abraq International Airport is only used for hajj operations.
“Fatigued players and officials have remained nonplussed as the host Libyan Football Federation failed to send any reception team or even vehicles to take the delegation members from the airport to their hotel, said to be 3 hours away in Benghazi.
“The NFF made arrangements for separate vehicles for the team, but the plan was unhinged by the diversion of the aircraft.
“Players have resolved not to play the match any longer as NFF officials are making plans to fly the team back home”.
Earlier, the players said that, even if the Confederation of African Football (CAF) intervene, they will not be going to the pitch to play against their host considering their host’s style of reception since arrival into the country.
The team’s captain, William Troost-Ekong, described their host style as deliberate and inhumane.
He said: “At this point we have called for our Nigerian Government to intervene and rescue us. As the captain together with the team we have decided that we will NOT play this game. CAF should look at the report and what is happening here”.
He revealed that the team is being kept in an abandoned airport with no access to food, drink, or phone connections.
“12+ hours in an abandoned airport in Libya after our plane was diverted whilst descending. The Libyan government rescinded our approved landing in Benghazi without reason. They’ve locked the airport gates and left us without a phone connection, food, or drink. All to play mind games.
“I’ve experienced issues before while playing away in Africa, but this is disgraceful behaviour,” he wrote.
Troost-Ekong also mentioned the difficulties faced by the Tunisian pilot, who managed the unexpected change in destination but was subsequently refused accommodation for his crew under government orders.
While the pilot could rest at the airport, Nigerian crew members were not allowed to stay, forcing them to sleep on the plane.
“Even the Tunisian pilot, who thankfully managed to navigate the last-minute change to an airport not fit for our plane to land, had never seen anything like this before,” he wrote.
“Upon arrival, he tried to find a nearby hotel to rest with his crew but was denied at every hotel, again under government instruction. He could sleep there, but no Nigerian crew members were allowed. They have now returned to sleep on the plane, which is parked up,” Troost-Ekong added.
