Nigeria’s football team will be flown back from Libya without playing their 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match following their alleged “inhumane treatment” in the host nation, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has said.
The team have been held at an abandoned airport in Libya for more than 17 hours since their chartered flight landed on Sunday, according to Nigeria’s captain, William Troost-Ekong.
The NFF is now making arrangements to fly them back to Nigeria before their match against Libya scheduled for Tuesday.
“The players have resolved not to play the match any longer as NFF officials are making plans to fly the team back home,” NFF spokesman Ademola Olajire said on Monday.
The team landed at Al Abraq International Airport on Sunday night and were meant to travel by road to the match venue in Benina, south of the Libyan capital, TripoliAs the team captain together with the team we have decided that we will NOT play this game,” he wrote in a series of social media posts describing the team’s stay at the airport.
“Let them have the points,” he added, indicating that his team may lose points if the fixture is considered a forfeit by the Confederation of African Football (CAF).
Troost-Ekong said the team’s aircraft was diverted while descending after the Libyan government allegedly rescinded their approved landing in Benghazi for “no reason”.
The Super Eagles captain posted photos of his teammates sleeping on seats in the deserted airport lounge.They’ve locked the airport gates and left us without phone connection, food or drink – all to play mind games,” he wrote. I have experienced stuff before playing away in Africa but this is disgraceful behaviour
Source: goal
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