Nigeria boycotts AFCON 2025 qualifier in Libya over ‘inhumane treatment’

Following their alleged “inhumane treatment” in the host nation, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has announced that the Nigerian football team will be flown back from Libya to play their 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match.

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.

Before Tuesday’s scheduled match between Libya and Nigeria, the NFF is now organizing to fly them back to Nigeria.

According to NFF spokesman Ademola Olajire, the players have made a decision to postpone the game because they intend to bring the team home.

The team arrived at Al Abraq International Airport on Sunday night, and they were scheduled to take a road to Benina, a south of Tripoli, the Libyan capital.

For safety reasons, Troost-Ekong stated that the team would not participate in the game and would not take the three-hour bus ride from Al-Abraq to Benina.

In a number of social media posts describing the team’s stay at the airport, he wrote, “As the team captain together with the team, we have decided that we will NOT play this game.”

He continued, “Let them have the points,” warning that the Confederation of African Football (CAF) may declare the game a forfeit.

After the Libyan government allegedly rescinded their approved landing in Benghazi for “no reason,” Troost-Ekong claimed the team’s aircraft was diverted while it was descent.

The Super Eagles captain captured images of his teammates snoozing on airport lounge seats.

“They’ve locked the airport gates and left us without phone connection, food or drink – all to play mind games”, he wrote.

“This is disgraceful behavior because I have gone through it before playing away in Africa.”

After our plane was diverted while we were ascending, we spent more than 12 hours in a Lybia airport that was abandoned. The Libyan government canceled our requested landing in Benghazi without cause. They’ve locked the airport gates and left us without phone connection, food or drink. All to play mind games.

The CAF, the regional football organization, has received a formal complaint from the NFF.

According to reports, the Libyan government would need to grant permission before the Nigerian embassy can intervene.

Victor Ikpeba, the team’s former African footballer of the year, has called for strict sanctions against Libya and supported the team’s decision to boycott the game.

“If CAF know their job, Libya ought to be banned from international football”, he told the AFP news agency.

“This is a high-risk nation, and I’m really curious who approved of Libya’s homegrown talent.”

I spent ten years playing for the Super Eagles, but I have never had the experience I did in Libya.

” The team are not safe. Those of us travelling with them are also not safe, “he added.

We spent more than ten hours hostage-free in an abandoned airport.

On Friday, Nigeria beat Libya 1-0 at home in the southern city of Uyo.