Nigeria to boycott AFCON qualifier against Libya – Association

According to its captain William Troost-Ekong and the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Nigeria withdrew from its Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Libya on Monday in protest at the diversion of their flight to the country before players and staff were left behind Hours at an airport far from the venue.

The Super Eagles were due to play hosts Libya in the city of Benghazi where they hoped to secure a place in the finals in Morocco later next year.

But after being stranded for more than 16 hours at an airport 250 km (155 miles) from their scheduled destination, the Nigerian players said they would not attend the game and the NFF issued a statement.

“Nigeria’s delegation to the 2025 AFCON qualifier against Libya on Tuesday still remained at Al Abraq Airport 12 hours after landing in Libya,” the statement said.

“The chartered ValueJet aircraft was strangely and dangerously diverted to the small airport outside Benghazi just as the pilot was completing his approach to Benghazi Airport.

“Weary players and officials continued to be baffled when the host Libyan Football Association failed to send a reception team or even vehicles to take the delegation members from the airport to their hotel, reportedly three hours away in Benghazi.”

“The players have decided not to play the game again as NFF officials are making plans to fly the team home.”

Troost-Ekong said on X: “As captain, we decided together with the team that we will not play this game. Apparently our plane is currently refueling and we should leave for Nigeria shortly.”

CAF said in a statement that it had been in contact with both countries' football associations and that “the matter has been referred to the CAF Disciplinary Committee for investigation and appropriate action will be taken against those who have violated the CAF statutes and regulations.” “.

The Libyan Football Association said the incident was not intentional and called on Nigeria to understand.

“We have the utmost respect for our Nigerian colleagues and would like to assure them that the diversion of their flight was not intentional,” it said, adding that disruptions could occur due to routine air traffic protocols, security checks or other logistical challenges.

“We strongly reject any allegations that suggest wrongdoing or sabotage in this situation. We hope that this misunderstanding can be resolved with understanding and goodwill.”

Nigerian striker Victor Boniface complained that he was stuck at the airport for almost 13 hours with no food, Wi-Fi or somewhere to sleep. “Africa, we can do better,” he said on X.

It is unclear what will happen to the points from the game as the matter is likely to be referred to CAF's disciplinary committee.

Nigeria beat Libya 1-0 in the second leg in Uyo on Friday thanks to a late goal from Fisayo Dele-Bashiru to take seven points from three games in their group.

Benin has six points, Rwanda two and Libya one. The top two teams in each group advance to the 24-team final.

Information from ESPN's Colin Udoh contributed to this report.