Super Eagles captain William Troost-Ekong has slammed the Libyan authorities for their ‘disgraceful’ treatment of the Nigerian entourage, ahead of the second leg of their double-header in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, Afrosport reports.
The Nigeria senior men’s team was expected to have landed in Benghazi on Sunday night, but according to reports, the team’s charter flight was diverted to Al-Abaq airport about an hour to landing with the players stranded in the city without any communications from the Libyan authorities.
In a series of tweets on his official X account, Troost-Ekong, who was visibly disappointed, confirmed that the team had spent over 12 hours at the Al-Abaq airport in Libya.
The 31-year-old alluded that the Libyan authorities were playing mind games with the team. Troost-Ekong wrote: “12+ hours in an abandoned airport in Libya after our plane was diverted whilst descending. The Libyan government rescinded our approved landing in Benghazi without reason. They’ve locked the airport gates and left us without a phone connection, food, or drink. All to play mind games.
“I’ve experienced issues before while playing away in Africa, but this is a disgraceful behaviour. Even the Tunisian pilot, who thankfully managed to navigate the last minute change to an airport unfit for our plane to land, had never seen something like this before.”
12+ hours in an abandoned airport in Lybia after our plane was diverted whilst descending. Lybian government rescinded our approved landing in Benghazi with no reason. They’ve locked the airport gates and left us without phone connection, food or drink. All to play mind games.
— William Troost-Ekong (M.O.N) (@WTroostEkong) October 14, 2024
Troost-Ekong added that despite the pilot’s exploits, he and his crew were denied access to accommodation in a nearby airport on the orders of the Libyan government.
He further stated that when the pilot and his crew were given the opportunity to rest at a nearby airport, the Nigerian team was denied such privilege.
“Upon arrival he [pilot] tried to find a nearby airport to rest with his crew to be denied at every hotel again under government instruction,” he stated.
“He could sleep there but no Nigerian crew members were allowed. They have returned to now sleep on the plane which is parked up.
He revealed that the team is being kept in an abandoned airport with no access to food, drink, or phone connections.”
Troost-Ekong, who has over 70 caps under his belt for the Super Eagles, confirmed that the players have agreed not to play the game with or without any further leeway in the matter.
“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,” the Super Eagles captain wrote.
“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 int. football.”
This comes off the back of the Libyan authorities accusing the Nigeria Football Federation of treating them badly in the first leg in Uyo last week, an allegation, which the NFF categorically denied.
The Super Eagles defeated the Mediterranean Knights 1-0 at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium last Friday, thanks to a late strike from Lazio midfielder Fisayo Dele-Bashiru in the 86th minute.
