The Nigerian soccer national team have officially boycotted their AFCON qualifier against Libya after their flight was diverted away from its original location with the team being held at the airport for over 12 hours, the team's captain William Troost-Ekong announced on Monday.
Troost-Ekong announced the decision of the team to not play the game against Libya on X.
"As the captain, together with the team, we have decided that we will not play this game. Apparently our plane is being fueled as we speak and we should be leaving to Nigeria shortly," he wrote.
12+ hours in an abandoned airport in Lybia after our plane was diverted whilst descending. Lybian government rescinded our approved landing in Benghazi with no reason. They’ve locked the airport gates and left us without phone connection, food or drink. All to play mind games.
— William Troost-Ekong (M.O.N) (@WTroostEkong) October 14, 2024
Here's what to know:
What happened?
The Super Eagles have decided to boycott the game against Libya as they were due to play in Benghazi where they hoped to clinch qualification for the finals of the 2025 edition that will be played in Morocco. However, the team was stranded for more than 16 hours at another airport 155 miles away from their destination, according to Reuters.
The NFF (Nigerian Football Federation) announced that the team's plane was diverted to Al Abraq International Airport with no alternative offered, while the Libyan Football Federation said in a statement that the incident was not intentional.
"We have the utmost respect for our Nigerian counterparts and want to reassure them that the diversion of their flight was not intentional. Disruptions can occur from routine air traffic protocols, security checks or other logistical challenges. We firmly reject any claims that suggest foul play or sabotage in this situation. We hope that this misunderstanding can be resolved with understanding and goodwill."
This is getting scary now
— Victor Boniface (@boniface_jrn) October 14, 2024
You guys can have the point
We just want to return to our country
What will happen?
It's still not clear what will happen. If the game will be played at all or not in the future will likely be discussed by the CAF's disciplinary board in the upcoming weeks. Nigeria won 1-0 against Libya in the reverse fixture last Friday thanks to a late goal of Lazio's Fisayo Dele-Bashiru bringing the Super Eagles to seven points in the table after three games in the group. As things stand, Benin have six points, Rwanda two and Libya one. The top two teams in each group advance to the 24-team finals that will take place in December 2025.
