The highly anticipated Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier between Nigeria and Libya took a dramatic turn on Monday when Nigeria’s squad was left stranded at an airport in Libya for hours without basic necessities.
As the team arrived at Al-Abraq Airport, they were shocked to discover that their chartered flight had been diverted from Benghazi, the original destination. The players and officials were prevented from leaving the airport, sparking widespread outrage.
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“We’ve experienced stuff before playing away in Africa, but this is disgraceful behavior. Even the Tunisian pilot who managed to navigate the last-minute change to an airport not fit for our plane to land had never seen something like this before,” Nigeria’s captain, William Troost-Ekong, posted on social media.
Leicester City’s Wilfred Ndidi alleged that the team was being held hostage.
“This is not football. Very embarrassing. Hostage to a national team. Disgrace,” he posted on Instagram. The Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) quickly sprang into action, announcing that the team would boycott the match in protest.
“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 NFF stated. Libya had previously alleged “poor treatment” during the reverse fixture in Nigeria, claims that were rejected by the NFF.
However, the latest incident has raised serious concerns about player safety and the organization of AFCON qualifiers.
Nigeria’s victory over Libya on Friday had put them top of their group, six points clear of their opponents. But now, the postponement has cast a shadow over the team’s progress.
“This is unacceptable and a clear violation of player rights,” said Victor Osimhen, Nigeria talisman. “We stand with our players and demand immediate action from CAF.”
The incident has sparked calls for an immediate investigation into the circumstances surrounding the postponement.
CAF and FIFA have been urged to take swift action to ensure player safety and prevent similar incidents in the future.
