Nigeria captain William Troost-Ekong has said that his side will forfeit their game against Libya on Tuesday after being stranded at an airport in the North African country for 12 hours.
Troost-Ekong, 31, alleged that the team had been abandoned after their plane was diverted to Al Abraq International Airport in Libya without access to food, drink, or phone connection in an attempt to play mind games before the AFCON 2025 qualifier. The Libyan Football Federation (LFF) has rejected the suggestion of “foul play or sabotage”.
Troost-Ekong also alleged that the team were denied access to a hotel and had to call on the Nigerian government to rescue them, labelling the situation “disgraceful”.
— William Troost-Ekong (M.O.N) (@WTroostEkong) October 14, 2024
“Twelve hours in an abandoned airport in Lybia after our plane was diverted whilst descending,” Troost-Ekong wrote on Monday morning. “The Lybian government rescinded our approved landing in Benghazi for no reason. They (Libya) have 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.
“At this point we have called for our Nigerian Government to intervene and rescue us. As the captain together with the team we have decided that we will NOT play this game. CAF should look at the report and what is happening here.
“Even if they decide to allow 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 international football.”
Been at the airport for almost 13 hours no food no wifi no where to sleep
African we can do better @caf— Victor Boniface (@boniface_jrn) October 14, 2024
Alongside Troost-Ekong, Bayer Leverkusen’s Victor Boniface, Leicester City’s Wilfred Ndidi, Fenerbahce’s Bright Osayi-Samuel among others have also criticised the LFF and called for CAF to take action.
Galatasaray striker Victor Osimhen, who was not included in this squad, added that he had experienced a similar situation when playing for his country’s under-17 side.
I’ve been stuck in a random Libyan airport for 15 hours with no guarantee health & safety…
We can do better @caf— Bright Osayi-Samuel (@Bright_097) October 14, 2024
In response to the situation, the LFF said it “firmly reject(s) any claims that suggest foul play or sabotage in this situation”.
“We have the utmost respect for our Nigerian counterparts and want to reassure them that the diversion of their flight was not intentional,” the LFF said.
“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 hope that this misunderstanding can be resolved with understanding and goodwill. Our doors are open to our Nigerian brothers and all African teams, and we continue to promote the spirit of unity, sportsmanship, and friendship in the world of football.”
Monday’s issues come after Libya captain Faisal Al-Badri claimed last week that before his side played the reverse fixture at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium on Friday, they were subjected to poor treatment on arrival in Nigeria. The NFF rejected Al-Badri’s account and claimed that the LFF arranged its own transport while in Nigeria.
Nigeria beat Libya 1-0 at the Godswill last Friday thanks to a late goal from Fisayo Dele-Bashiru.
The Athletic have contacted the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and Confederation Africaine de Football (CAF) for further comment.
(Photo: @WTroostEkong on X)
