The Nigerian national team, Super Eagles, has withdrawn from the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Libya following a horrific 12-hour ordeal at Al Abraq International Airport in Libya.
The team’s chartered aircraft was unexpectedly diverted mid-flight to Al Abraq, a small airport typically reserved for hajj operations, stranding players and officials without assistance from the Libyan Football Federation.
According to the NFF, the team remained at the airport for over 12 hours, unable to reach their hotel in Benghazi, three hours away.
The NFF stated, “The Nigerian delegation for Tuesday’s 2025 AFCON qualifier against Libya is still at Al Abraq Airport, 12 hours after landing. The chartered ValueJet aircraft was, strangely and in a dangerous manner, diverted to the small airport just as the pilot was completing his approach to Benghazi Airport.”
Super Eagles captain William Troost-Ekong condemned the treatment by Libyan authorities, describing the situation as “disgraceful” and accusing the hosts of playing “mind games.” In a series of tweets, Troost-Ekong revealed that the team was kept in an abandoned airport without access to food, drink, or phone connections.
“12+ hours in an abandoned airport in Libya after our plane was diverted whilst descending. The Libyan government rescinded our approved landing in Benghazi without reason. They’ve locked the airport gates and left us without a phone connection, food, or drink. All to play mind games. I’ve experienced issues before while playing away in Africa, but this is disgraceful behavior,” he wrote.
Troost-Ekong highlighted the difficulties faced by the Tunisian pilot, who managed the unexpected change in destination but was refused accommodation for his crew under government orders. “Even the Tunisian pilot, who thankfully managed to navigate the last-minute change to an airport not fit for our plane to land, had never seen anything like this before… Upon arrival, he tried to find a nearby hotel to rest with his crew but was denied at every hotel, again under government instruction.”
Supporting the players’ decision, the NFF arranged for the team to fly back to Nigeria, effectively pulling them out of the fixture.
“Players have resolved not to play the match any longer, and NFF officials are making plans to fly the team back home,” the NFF stated.
