Nigeria set to boycott Afcon qualifier in Libya
Nigeria’s players say they will boycott their 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier in Libya on Tuesday after being stranded at an airport overnight.
The Super Eagles squad were due to land in Benghazi on Sunday but their plane was instead diverted to Al Abraq, which is about 230km away from their intended destination.
A Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) official told BBC Sport Africa the travelling contingent were “completely abandoned” and then locked inside the airport building after making arrangements to leave.
“As the captain together with the team we have decided that we will not play this game,” centre-back William Troost-Ekong said in a post on X.
“At this point we have called for our Nigerian government to intervene and rescue us.
“I’ve experienced stuff before playing away in Africa but this is disgraceful behaviour.”
The Libyan Football Federation (LFF) said it was “deeply concerned” by reports about the situation experienced by the travelling side but denied suggestions of foul play.
“We have the utmost respect for our Nigerian counterparts and want to reassure them that the diversion of their flight was not intentional,” it said.
The LFF added that disruptions can occur from routine air traffic protocols, security checks or other logistical challenges and said it hoped the misunderstanding “can be resolved with understanding and goodwill”.
The Confederation of African Football has been contacted for comment.
The situation follows Libya’s complaints of alleged hostile treatment during their visit to Nigeria for the reverse fixture in Uyo last Friday.
Libyan officials claimed they were rerouted to Port Harcourt and also accused the Nigerians of not providing them a bus to cover the 130km journey to Uyo, leaving them stranded for hours.
Those claims were denied by the NFF.
‘Like we are in prison’
NFF media manager Promise Efoghe said no reason was given for the decision to divert their plane to Al Abraq on Sunday.
“No Libyan FA official has come to give reasons or provide any clarification,” he said.
“The Libyans made no effort to help. When the NFF tried to make alternative arrangement, we were locked inside the airport.
“It’s like we are in a prison at the airport.”
Striker Victor Boniface said on social media that the squad were left without food, wi-fi or anywhere to sleep, and the Super Eagles account on X posted pictures of players sprawled out on airport chairs.
Troost-Ekong described their treatment as “mind games”, which the LFF denied.
“There are no grounds to accuse the Libyan security teams or the LFF of deliberately orchestrating this incident,” a statement added.
“Such actions are inconsistent with our values and principles.
“We firmly reject any claims that suggest foul play or sabotage in this situation.”
The journey from Al Abraq to Benghazi would take over three and a half hours by road, but Troost-Ekong said the players would not want to travel by that means because of the security situation in Libya.
The country is split between two administrations – one based in the eastern region, which includes Benghazi, and the other in the west in the capital Tripoli. Both governments claim to be the country’s legitimate rulers.
Efoghe said the Nigerian embassy in Tripoli was “handicapped” and could not intervene because of the polit
ical situation.
“We will not accept to travel anywhere by road here even with security. It’s not safe,” Troost-Ekong added.
“We can only imagine what the hotel or food would be like given to us if we continued.
“We respect ourselves and respect our opponents when they are our guests in Nigeria. Mistakes happen but these things on purpose have nothing to do with [international] football.”
Nigeria won 1-0 when the two sides met in Uyo on Friday and top Group D on seven points, with Libya bottom of the table on one point and on the brink of elimination.