The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has withdrawn the Super Eagles from their scheduled Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier against Libya, following a 12-hour ordeal at Al Abraq International Airport in Libya. The Nigerian football team was stranded at the small airport, typically used for hajj operations, after their chartered flight was dangerously diverted mid-flight.
According to the NFF, the Nigerian delegation was on its way to Benghazi for the crucial match when the plane was unexpectedly rerouted. Upon landing at Al Abraq, the team was left without assistance from the Libyan Football Federation, which failed to provide transportation to their hotel in Benghazi, three hours away.
“The Nigerian delegation for Tuesday’s 2025 AFCON qualifier against Libya is still at Al Abraq Airport, 12 hours after landing. The chartered ValueJet aircraft was, strangely and in a dangerous manner, diverted to the small airport just as the pilot was completing his approach to Benghazi Airport,” the NFF said in a statement.
Due to the lack of food, drink, or proper rest, the players, frustrated and fatigued, have decided to refuse to play the match. “Players have resolved not to play the match any longer, and NFF officials are making plans to fly the team back home,” the NFF added.
Super Eagles captain William Troost-Ekong also condemned the treatment the team received. “12+ hours in an abandoned airport in Libya… This is disgraceful behaviour,” he tweeted, accusing the Libyan authorities of playing “mind games.”
Troost-Ekong revealed that even the Tunisian pilot was refused accommodation for his crew by government orders, forcing them to sleep on the plane.
As the NFF works to bring the team back to Nigeria, the withdrawal has dashed hopes for the upcoming AFCON fixture.
