Nigeria to boycott AFCON qualifier against Libya after players claim they were left stranded at airport overnight

The Nigeria men’s soccer team is set to leave Libya after being stuck at a remote airport for over 15 hours, according to Nigeria’s soccer governing body.

The Nigeria men’s soccer team is back home after being stuck at a remote Libyan airport for over 15 hours, according to Nigeria’s football governing body and team captain William Troost-Ekong. The Super Eagles are scheduled to play against host Libya in a 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier in the city of Benghazi on Tuesday, but the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) has stated the players have decided not to play the match. In an Instagram post, the NFF said that the squad was stranded overnight at Al Abraq airport outside of Al Bayda, Libya. It had originally been set to land over 200 kilometers (roughly 124 miles) away in Benghazi. “The chartered ValueJet aircraft was, strangely and in a dangerous manner, diverted to the small airport away from Benghazi just as the pilot was completing his approach to the Benghazi Airport,” said the NFF. “We understand the Al Abraq International Airport is only used for hajj operations. “Fatigued players and officials have remained nonplussed as the host Libyan Football Federation (LFF) failed to send any reception team or even vehicles to take the delegation members from the airport to their hotel, said to be 3 hours away in Benghazi.” The NFF added that transport had been organized for the team but was no longer in place due to the flight’s diversion.