New Delhi: Nigeria football team is set to boycott the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier in Libya and fly back from the country after their players were allegedly subjected to inhumane treatment. The squad was supposed to land in Benghazi on Sunday, but their plane was diverted to Al Abraq instead.
Captain William Troost-Ekong said the entire team decided against playing and called their country’s government to “intervene” in the situation. It has been reported that the Super Egles squad were stranded in the airport for more than 17 hours since their charter plane had landed with the entourage.
The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) are now making arrangements for the team to fly back to Nigeria before their game against Libya on Tuesday. The federation’s spokesman, Ademola Olajire, confirmed that the team had decided not to play the game on Tuesday.
What is Nigeria’s grievance?
In a post on X, Nigeria captain William Troost-Ekong (pictured) announced that his side will not play their AFCON qualifier against Libya, after claiming that the squad was deliberately locked at Al Abraq by the authorities as sabotage.
📸 Getty Images#football #footballnews pic.twitter.com/7ivVzUFZEG
— Football9 (@Football9live_) October 14, 2024
Nigerian Minister for Sports Development, Senator John Owan Enoh, said that the main concern was for the players to return safely home. Despite the concerns raised by the travelling side, the Libyan Football Federation (LFF) rebuffed suggestions of foul play. In their official statement, they mentioned that they had “utmost respect” for their opponent and ensured that the plane’s diversion was unintentional.
The Confederation of Africa Football (CAF) have been in contact with both Libyan and Nigerian representatives. CAF have issued a statement saying that the whole event has been referred to the disciplinary board for an investigation, and proper action will be taken if any “regulations and statutes” are found to have been flouted. Enoh had previously instructed NFF to lodge a complaint with CAF over the mistreatment of their players.
Troost-Ekong had initially taken to social media to talk about the horrific condition that the team was being treated. The Nigerian skipper mentioned that the team had been locked away in a deserted airport without proper amenities. The improper treatment had led the team to decide to forfeit the points if necessary. The 31-year-old centre-back later updated about their plane being fueled for their flight home.
Poor conditions faced by the Nigerian team
BACK HOME 🇳🇬 SAFE & SOUND.
Proud of this team, NAIJA SPIRIT can’t be broken.
Throw at us what you want, it’s in our blood to overcome. Ive seen a lot in my 10 years with this group, but nothing like this, an experience that has brought us even closer TOGETHER. pic.twitter.com/AwGw4aQW2y
— William Troost-Ekong (M.O.N) (@WTroostEkong) October 14, 2024
NFF media manager Promise Efoghe said there was a reason for diverting the plane to Al Abraq, 230 km away from the original destination. He further noted that there was no official clarification, and Libyan authorities had made “no effort to help.” NFF had tried to make some arrangements for themselves, but they were locked inside the airport.
Nigerian striker Victor Bonafice took to social media to mention that the squad was without food, Wi-Fi, or sleeping arrangements. The team’s account on X posted photos of players resting in airport seats. After Troost-Ekong announced the team’s decision, LFF claimed that disruptions can happen due to standard air traffic protocols and other managerial issues and that it was a minor misunderstanding that could be solved with “goodwill.”
After his conversation with CAF president Patrice Motsepe and secretary general Veron Mosengo-Omba, Enoh got the impression that the governing body of African football was hoping for the game to go ahead as scheduled on Tuesday. However, Enoh backed his players, felt the LFF needed to face consequences for the misbehaviour, and refused for the match to continue. He concluded that the team was unable to play due to the mental trauma and the resulting psychological torture, as well as the fear for their safety.
Libyan team’s similar misery
The event comes after Libya had themselves complained of hostile conduct towards the team during their visit to Nigeria for their fixture in Uyo the previous Friday. Libyan officials had said that the team had been rerouted to Port Harcourt without any arrangements made by the Nigerians to cover the 130 km travel to Uyo. This claim was though refuted by the NFF.
On the other hand, Troost-Ekong’s claim that the team faced “mind games” in North Africa was brushed off by LFF, who said there were “no grounds” for such claims against LFF or the Libyan security teams for instrumenting such events. Due to the political situation, the team wasn’t keen on making the three-and-a-half-hour journey from Al Abraq to Benghazi.
The political turmoil prevented the Nigerian embassy in Tripoli from taking any action. The team maintained that this was not a case of mistake but of intentional sabotage. Nigeria won 1-0 when the two teams clashed in Uyo on Friday and are on top of Group D with seven points, while Libya is at the bottom of the table with one point and is on the verge of elimination.
Nigerian football team faced hostile treatment as they landed in Libya to play their fixture against the home team. Now the team has decided to boycott the match. Football Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
