The Super Eagles have arrived in Nigeria after their ordeal in Libyan for a 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier.
Players and officials were stranded for about 13 hours at a Libyan airport ahead of the game which was supposed to take place on Tuesday. Photos of the team sleeping on benches went viral early Monday, prompting condemnation.
But hours later, the team landed in Kano (for a brief stop and headed to Abuja) after Libyan authorities cleared their flight to take off.
‘Back Home’
BACK HOME 🇳🇬 SAFE & SOUND.
Proud of this team, NAIJA SPIRIT can’t be broken.
Throw at us what you want, it’s in our blood to overcome. Ive seen a lot in my 10 years with this group, but nothing like this, an experience that has brought us even closer TOGETHER. pic.twitter.com/AwGw4aQW2y
— William Troost-Ekong (M.O.N) (@WTroostEkong) October 14, 2024
“BACK HOME SAFE & SOUND. Proud of this team, NAIJA SPIRIT can’t be broken.
Throw at us what you want, it’s in our blood to overcome,” the team’s captain William Troost-Ekong said on his X handle.
“I’ve seen a lot in my 10 years with this group, but nothing like this, an experience that has brought us even closer TOGETHER.”
Back to Nigeria 🇳🇬❤️❤️
Next of kin you try ooooo😀
— Victor Boniface (@boniface_jrn) October 14, 2024
Bayer Leverkusen’s Victor Boniface said the Super Eagles have returned home.
“Back to Nigeria,” Boniface wrote.
‘Almost Hostage Situation’
As things escalated, this time overcoming meant taking a stand for what’s right regardless of the consequences. No team should be mistreated this way. Football is about respect, and that starts by respecting ourselves.
— William Troost-Ekong (M.O.N) (@WTroostEkong) October 14, 2024
The Nigerian players and officials had landed in the North African country ahead of the match. But after their flight was rerouted from Benghazi where the game was meant to hold.
They were denied access to food and other supplies with some members of the team taking to social media to lament about the incident.
That prompted condemnation across the globe with Nigerian authorities describing the incident as “unfortunate”. The Minister of Sports Development John Enoh likened it to “almost hostage” and said the Super Eagles were no longer taking part in the game.
“To say the least, they face an almost ‘hostage’ situation. These are sportsmen set to compete in an AFCON qualifying match come Tuesday!” he said.
“For now, our primary concern is the safety of the members of our national team. With the events of the past hours, their safety is not guaranteed and the team insists they’re unable to go ahead with the match not just because of the trauma and consequent psychological torture but also because of fear for their safety.”
‘Inconsistent With Our Values’
The Libyan Football Federation (LFF) denied accusations of wrong-doings and claim its team faced a similar situation when they played the Super Eagles in the first leg of the encounter last week.
“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,” the LFF said and linked the delay to logistical issues and other challenges.
‘Action Will Be Taken’
But the Confederation of Africa Football (CAF) had said it was going to probe the “disturbing conditions” after reaching out to the Nigerian and Libyan authorities.
“The matter has been referred to the CAF Disciplinary Board for investigation and appropriate action will be taken against those who violated the CAF Statutes and Regulations,” CAF said. (Channels)
