Nigeria’s national football team, the Super Eagles, have declared their intention to boycott Tuesday’s Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifying match against Libya, citing severe mistreatment upon arrival in the country.
The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) released a statement detailing the team’s ordeal.
After landing in Libya, the Super Eagles delegation found themselves stranded at Al Abraq Airport for an astonishing 12 hours.
Their chartered ValueJet aircraft had been unexpectedly diverted from its intended destination of Benghazi to the smaller Al Abraq International Airport, typically reserved for hajj operations.
Super Eagles captain William Troost-Ekong voiced the team’s collective frustration. “We have maintained a positive spirit, but these are unacceptable conditions,” he said. “Traveling by road is not safe here, and we can only imagine how we would be treated in the hotel or the food they would try to give us. It was funny before, but as a team, we respect ourselves, and under these conditions, we won’t play.”
Troost-Ekong highlighted several pressing concerns, including unsafe road conditions, subpar hotel accommodations, and questionable food quality. The team also expressed fears for their safety given Libya’s current political climate.
A particularly troubling incident involved the team’s pilot, as Troost-Ekong revealed: “Even our pilot, who is Tunisian and wasn’t locked in like a hostage, came back hours later. He was told in every nearby hotel they would only accept him and none of the Nigerian aircrew members. Are we still talking about international football?!”
The NFF had made arrangements for separate vehicles to transport the team, but these plans were derailed by the unexpected aircraft diversion. With players refusing to compete under these circumstances, NFF officials are now considering flying the team back to Nigeria.
This development throws Tuesday’s scheduled match into uncertainty. After the first three matches in the qualification series, the Super Eagles currently lead Group D with seven points.
Libya, meanwhile, sits at the bottom of the group with just a single point, facing an uphill battle to qualify for next year’s AFCON tournament in Morocco.
