Stranded Nigeria refuses to play Libya in an Africa Cup of Nations qualifier

Nigeria pulled out of their Africa Cup of Nations qualifier in Libya and were going home on Monday, their captain said. They did this because they didn’t want to be moved and left for hours in an airport far from the game site.

There was a game between the Super Eagles and Libya on Tuesday in Benghazi. The goal was to secure a spot in the playoffs in Morocco late next year.

But the Nigerian players said they would not play because they had been stuck at an airport 250 km (155 miles) from where they were supposed to be for more than 16 hours.

William Troost-Ekong said on X, “As captain and with the team, we have decided that we will not play this game.” “Apparently our plane is being fuelled as we speak and we should be leaving to Nigeria shortly.”

The Nigeria Football Federation said that the team’s private flight was going to land in Benghazi but was sent to Al Abraq International Airport instead, with no other options.

“We can do better in Africa.”

The Libyan Football Federation said the event wasn’t planned and asked Nigeria to be patient. They also said that their players had trouble getting to Nigeria last week because of travel problems.

It said, “We have the utmost respect for our Nigerian counterparts and want to reassure them that the diversion of their flight was not intentional.” It also said that flights can get diverted for normal reasons like security checks, routine air traffic rules, or other problems with logistics.

“We strongly deny any claims that there was wrongdoing or sabotage in this case.” We hope that this confusion can be cleared up by being understanding and friendly.

Vic Boniface, a striker for Nigeria, said he had been stuck at the airport for 13 hours without food, Wi-Fi, or a place to sleep. “Africa, we can do better,” he told X.

It’s not clear what will happen to the game’s points since the issue will be taken to the disciplinary board of the Confederation of African Football.

Officials from both countries told CAF in a statement that “appropriate action” would be taken against anyone who broke its rules.

Nigeria beat Libya 1-0 in the rematch on Friday in Uyo thanks to a late goal by Fisayo Dele-Bashiru. They now have seven points from three games in their group.

Rwanda has two points, Benin has six, and Libya has one. The 24 teams that make it to the finals are the top two teams from each group.