2025 AFCON Qualifier: Super Eagles boycott Libya match after hostage, return to Abuja

• … It is inhumane, uncalled For – Osimhen

By Amaechi Agbo, Abuja

The Super Eagles of Nigeria have boycotted their matchday four of the ongoing 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, AFCON qualification series against the Mediterranean Knights of Libya.

This came after the Nigeria delegation arrived Libya’s Capital Tripoli on Sunday only for their plane to be diverted from landing at the Tripoli International Airport.

The team was allegedly held hostage by the officials of the Libya football Federation and the government. Upon their arrival on Sunday evening, the team was neither provided security, bus to convey them to their hotel base nor even offered a hotel to sleep in.

After being left at the airport for over 15 hours, without good, drinks or wifi,  the team, after the intervention of Nigeria Ambassador and government officials, decided to boycott the match and return to Abuja, Nigeria’s capital.

Super Eagles captain who confirmed the decision on his X Handle, said they were left stranded at the airport with nobody to attend to them. He stressed that Nigeria as a nation cannot treat a visiting nation the way Libya treated the Super Eagles delegation

“Apparently our plane is being fueled as we speak and we should be leaving to Nigeria shortly. Thanks for everyone’s support!

“Can I shock you?! the pilot has just told us there has been fuel at this airport for the plane all this time. They could have released it but haven’t given us permission since. Can you imagine?! So how long are they planning to hold us hostage here!!! Still just waiting

“After our first tweets magically a team bus arrived and a driver who has been standing inside the airport filming us and laughing with some of the other staff since last night said the bus was ready 12 hours after we landed. Now we have been waiting for fuel since morning…

“I REITERATE: We would NEVER treat a guest nation for a game in this way. Mistakes happen, delays happen. But never on purpose,” he said.

Meanwhile Super Eagles forward, Victor Osimhen has rallied support for his teammates following their inhumane treatment by the Libyan FA and government.

The Galatasaray of Turkey star who was ruled out of the double header qualifiers on account of injury, described the attitude of the Libyans as Inhumane and Uncalled for.

“Uncalled for, and inhumane” Osimhen posted on his social media handle.

Earlier, Captain William Troost-Ekong explained how their chartered plane was diverted from landing despite having landing approval by the Libyan Government.

“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.

“I’ve experienced stuff before playing away in Africa but this is disgraceful behaviour. 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 something like this before.

“Upon arrival he tried to find a nearby airport to rest with his crew to be denied at every hotel again under Government instruction. He could sleep there but NO NIGERIAN crew members allowed. They have returned to now sleep on the plane which is parked up.

“This kind of behaviour, let them have the points. We will not accept to travel anywhere by road here even with security it’s not safe. 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 int. football.”

The football world is waiting anxiously to see the decision of Africa’s football umpire, CAF on this matter.

Nigeria is scheduled to play Libya in the Matchday four of their 2025 AFCON qualifiers Tuesday night by 8pm local time.

Nigeria, it could be recalled, beat the Mediterranean Knights by alone goal in Uyo on Thursday to consolidate their leadership of Group D.

WHAT WENT WRONG

Ahead of the first leg of the double AFCON qualifing header in Uyo on Friday, the Libya captain accused the Nigeria Football Federation NFF of bad treatment after the federation allegedly abandoned them at the airport in Port Harcourt, Rivers State. The captain further alleged that the federation provided a busy without AC to take them to Uyo, the venue of the match.

The NFF however, vehemently refuted the allegations and cleared itself of any wrongdoing.

The Nigeria Football Federation rejected claims of poor treatment on arrival in Nigeria by the captain of the Libya senior men national team, Faisal Al-Badri. NFF insists the Libyan Football Federation created chaos for its own team, the Mediterranean Knights.

NFF’s Assistant Director (Protocol), Mr. Emmanuel Ayanbunmi said the Libya Federation only informed the NFF that its team was landing in Port Harcourt, and not Uyo, only three hours to the team’s arrival on Tuesday.

“I spoke to the General Secretary of LFF, at length, on Monday, 7th October and he never hinted that his team would be arriving on Tuesday (the following day). He only said he would get back to me but he never did. On Monday evening, someone sent as an advance party by the LFF called me and said his team would be arriving on Tuesday by noon. We made all arrangements to receive the team in Uyo on arrival.

“It was only an hour after the team was airborne that he told me the delegation would be landing in Port Harcourt. That disrupted so many things, but we still raced on hurdles to get approval from federal authorities to allow their plane to fly them to Uyo once they concluded immigration formalities in Port Harcourt. Apparently, that would have meant additional cost to the LFF from the charter company, and they didn’t want that, so they preferred to travel from Port Harcourt to Uyo by road.”

Ayanbunmi added that the Libyan delegation jettisoned road transportation arrangements made for them by the NFF and instead hired buses on their own.

“If they travelled on buses that were not air-conditioned, that had nothing to do with the NFF as they hired their own buses. We provided security for them, with men and vehicles in front and behind their buses, so we are unmoved about their complaints and threats.” NFF said in a statement

Libya Federation Denies any Wrong Doing

The Libyan Football Federation has denied any wrongdoing on the reported bad treatment of Nigeria delegation for their Tuesday night’s AFCON qualifier.

The federation claimed that the diversion of the delegate’s plane was “acceptable” global practice in air transportation and and dismissed report that it was premeditated.

The statement reads:

The Libyan Football Federation released an official statement on X regarding the Super Eagles current situation in the country

We are deeply concerned about the recent reports surrounding the diversion of the Nigerian national team’s flight ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations qualifier in Libya.

While we regret any inconvenience caused, it is essential to note that such incidents can occur due to routine air traffic control protocols, security checks, or logistical challenges that affect international air travel.

These are standard procedures at airports worldwide, and delays or rerouting, though unfortunate, are not uncommon.

We have the utmost respect for our Nigerian counterparts and want to reassure them that the diversion of their flight was not intentional.

There are no grounds to accuse the Libyan security teams or the Libyan Football Federation of deliberately orchestrating this incident. Such actions are inconsistent with our values and principles.

We firmly reject any claims that suggest foul play or sabotage in this situation.

It is important to highlight that just last week, our own national team faced significant challenges upon our arrival in Nigeria for the third match of the Africa Cup of Nations qualification.

Despite the difficulties we encountered, we did not make public accusations nor question the integrity of the Nigerian authorities. Football, in its essence, unites nations, and we are committed to upholding the spirit of fairness and mutual respect both on and off the field.

In Libya, we pride ourselves on our hospitality and our welcoming nature. We have always prioritized treating all visiting teams, including our African brothers and other international delegations, with the respect and dignity they deserve.

Hosting these events is a great honor for us, and we strive to ensure that all teams feel safe and respected as our guests. This commitment to equality and hospitality is a core aspect of our culture and tradition.

Report Disturbing, Unacceptable – CAF

Libya Vs Nigeria Hostage Taking: CAF Issues Statement, Vows To Punish Those Culpable

Meanwhile, Africa’s football umpire, the Confederation of Africa Football, (CAF) has issued a statement on the alleged maltreatment of Super Eagles players and officials by the Libyan Football Federation and government.

Nigeria’s delegation to the Matchday four of the 2025 AFCON qualifiers slated to hold in Tripoli on Tuesday, were left stranded at the after their plane was diverted from landing at the Tripoli International Airport.

The delegation were held hostage, allegedly for over 15 hours without food, drinks or wifi.

Consequently, the Nigeria delegation boycotted the match and are on their way back to Abuja.

CAF in a statement on Monday described the report surrounding the Nigeria team as “disturbing and unacceptable” and vowed that thorough investigations are ongoing to ascertain those culpable and mete punishment accordingly

“CAF views the disturbing and unacceptable experiences of the Nigerian National Football Team (‘’Super Eagles’’) at an airport in Libya in a very serious light

Published: Monday, 14 October 2024

“The Confederation Africaine de Football (CAF) has been in contact with the Libyan and Nigerian authorities after it had been informed that the Nigerian National Football Team (‘’Super Eagles’’) and their technical team were stranded in disturbing conditions for several hours at an airport that they were allegedly instructed to land by the Libyan authorities.

“The matter has been referred to the CAF Disciplinary Board for investigation and appropriate action will be taken against those who violated the CAF Statutes and Regulations,” CAF said