The Super Eagles were reportedly held at an abandoned airport in Libya for more than 15 hours before their chartered flight landed on Sunday. The Nigerian embassy cannot intervene because it needs permission from the Libyan government. An official complaint from the NFF has been sent to the Confederation of African Football (CAF).
The captain of Nigeria, William Troost-Ekong, shared, this Monday, October 14, via his official account on X (formerly Twitter), images of Nigerian players stranded in the departure hall of a deserted airport in Libya. He also threatened not to play the return match in Libya, accusing the local government of hijacking their plane and holding them hostage at the airport.
In a first tweet, Al Kholood’s defender said: “more than twelve hours in an abandoned airport in Libya after our plane was hijacked during descent. The Libyan government canceled our permission to land in Benghazi for no reason. They locked the airport gates and left us without telephone connection, food or drink. I have already experienced this kind of situation in Africa, but it is shameful behavior. As captain, with the whole team, we decided NOT to play this match. CAF should examine what is happening here.
“This kind of behavior… let them take the points. We refuse to travel by road here, even with security. It’s not safe. We can only imagine what the hotel or food would have in store for us IF we continued,” he added
Troost-Ekong then concluded: “we respect each other and our adversaries when they are our guests in Nigeria. Mistakes can happen, but these deliberate actions have nothing to do with international football.
Galatasaray striker Victor Osimhen also expressed his support for the Super Eagles in two stories posted on his official Instagram account: “I am disappointed by the unfair treatment my brothers and the coaches received at the Libyan airport at night last. Such actions go against the spirit of sportsmanship. I fully support my team, and I know they will remain strong despite these obstacles. I call on CAF and other football authorities to intervene, because my teammates and officials are still stuck at the airport in Libya. This is unacceptable and inhumane. We remain united, stronger than ever.”
He added, asking CAF to act quickly: “what the Libyan federation is doing is no longer a simple delay, but a deliberate tactic to weaken and demoralize the players. This is looking more and more like a hostage situation… Our captain has declared that we will not play the match, and I support this decision, unless it is moved to a neutral ground. My brothers and the coaches must return home safe; we are neither criminals nor prisoners… Once again, I call on CAF, the Nigerian government and the relevant authorities to act quickly to ensure their safe return.”
Furthermore, it all started during the first leg between Nigeria and Libya, where the Libyan Football Federation (LFF) made allegations regarding the poor travel conditions that the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) allegedly imposed on the Knights of the Mediterranean. The technical staff and Libyan players had to wait several hours at Port Harcourt airport before being able to reach Uyo, the city where the meeting was to take place.
The Deputy Director of the NFF, Emmanuel Ayanbunmi, clarified that the LFF only informed three hours before the arrival of his team that they would land in Port Harcourt and not Uyo, on Tuesday, October 8. “I had a long conversation with the general secretary of the LFF on Monday October 7, and he never mentioned that his team would arrive on Tuesday. He only told me he would call me back, but he never did. Monday evening, a person mandated by the LFF informed me that the team would arrive on Tuesday at noon. We have made all arrangements to welcome him in Uyo upon his arrival.”
The match between the two teams, scheduled for this Tuesday, October 15, on the occasion of the 4th day of group D, of the qualifiers for the African Cup of Nations, Morocco-2025, on the lawn of the Stade Martyrs de Benina could not take place. The Confederation of African Football has still not reacted to this matter.
Par Chadi Ben Hassan
10/14/2024 at 11:27 a.m.
