There is indications that the players of the Super Eagles have vowed to boycott Tuesday’s match-day four of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations Qualifier against the Mediterranean Knights of Libya in Benghazi after they had been abandoned by the host federation at the Al Abraq International Airport for more than 13 hours.
The match is a reverse fixture of the one played on Friday in Uyo, where the Eagles won by a lone goal scored by Dele Bashiru in the 86th minute of the encounter. The Libyans had complained of ill treatment when they visited Nigeria. A statement the NFF watered down, saying that the Libyans were the architect of their undoing during the visit. That they kept their movements secret all through.
The Libyans had threatened a revenge when the Nigerians came visiting. True to their words, the Nigerian delegation for Tuesday’s 2025 AFCON qualifier against Libya were left stranded at Al Abraq Airport, 12 hours after their arrival.
The team which traveled on a chartered ValueJet flight, were unexpectedly and dangerously diverted to a smaller airport instead of Benghazi, just as the pilot was preparing to land. Al Abraq International Airport is typically designated for hajj operations.
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Exhausted players and officials have expressed frustration, as the Libyan Football Federation failed to provide any reception team or vehicles to transport them to their hotel, reportedly three hours away in Benghazi.
While the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) had arranged separate vehicles for the team, those plans fell through due to the aircraft’s diversion.
The players have now resolved not to participate in the match, prompting NFF officials to consider flying the team back home. Although the NFF was prepared to book accommodations near the airport, all approached hotels reportedly received instructions not to accept Nigerian guests. Attempts by the aircraft crew to find lodging were met with the same response.
The captain was offered a hotel room due to his North African nationality but declined, choosing instead to stay with the rest of the crew and sleep on the aircraft.
