The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has announced that the national football team will boycott their Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier against Libya due to “inhumane treatment” experienced while stranded at an airport in Libya. After their chartered flight landed on Sunday, the Super Eagles were detained for over 20 hours at Al-Abraq Airport, which was not their intended destination.
The flight was initially scheduled to land in Benghazi but was diverted to Al-Abraq, located 230 kilometers away. In a statement, the NFF detailed the team’s challenges during their time in Libya, emphasizing the fiasco caused by the Libyan federal authorities and the Libyan Football Federation.
NFF Communications Director Ademola Olajire confirmed that the Nigerian delegation finally departed Al-Abraq Airport at 15:05, bound for Kano and then on to Abuja. Team captain William Troost-Ekong expressed the team’s decision to forgo the match, stating on social media, “We will NOT play this game… Let them have the points. We will not accept to travel anywhere by road here; even with security, it’s not safe.”
Following the incident, Nigeria lodged a formal complaint with the Confederation of African Football (CAF), which is currently investigating the matter. CAF acknowledged the troubling experiences faced by the Nigerian team and assured that appropriate actions would be taken against any violations of CAF statutes.
The Libyan Football Federation responded by denying any wrongdoing, asserting that there was no intention to create difficulties for the Nigerian delegation. They stated, “There are no grounds to accuse the Libyan security teams or the Libyan Football Federation of deliberately orchestrating this incident.”
Victor Ikpeba, a former African footballer of the year who traveled with the team, called for severe penalties against Libya and supported the decision to boycott the match. He criticized the safety conditions in Libya, recalling his own experiences and emphasizing that “the team is not safe, those of us traveling with them are also not safe.”
Nigeria had previously defeated Libya 1-0 in Uyo on Friday and currently leads Group D with seven points from three matches, while Libya sits at the bottom with only one point.
