Super Eagles captain, William Troost-Ekong, has condemned the poor treatment of the Nigerian national football team by Libyan authorities, after the team was left stranded for over 12 hours at Al Abaq Airport on Sunday.
Originally scheduled to land in Benghazi for their 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier, the Super Eagles were unexpectedly diverted to Al Abaq, where they have been held without any explanation.
In a series of tweets on Monday morning, Troost-Ekong expressed his frustration, calling the situation “disgraceful” and accusing the Libyan authorities of engaging in “mind games.”
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He revealed that the team is stranded in an abandoned airport without access to food, water, or phone services.
“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 The Libyan government rescinded our approved landing in Benghazi without reason.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 disgraceful behaviour,” he wrote.
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He also expressed concern over the challenges faced by the Tunisian pilot, who successfully handled the unexpected change in destination but was later denied accommodation for his crew due to government directives.
Although the pilot was permitted to rest at the airport, the Nigerian crew members were not granted the same privilege, leaving them with no choice but to sleep on the plane.
“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 anything like this before,” he wrote.
“Upon arrival, he tried to find a nearby hotel to rest with his crew but was denied at every hotel, again under government instruction. He could sleep there, but no Nigerian crew members were allowed. They have now returned to sleep on the plane, which is parked up,” Troost-Ekong added.
“We will NOT play this game,” he declared, urging the Nigerian government to intervene and rescue the stranded team.
“We respect ourselves and respect our opponents when they are our guests in Nigeria. Mistakes happen, but these deliberate actions have nothing to do with international football.”
The Super Eagles had previously traveled to Libya for the second leg of their AFCON qualifying match against the Mediterranean Knights, following a 1-0 win in the first leg held in Uyo on Friday.
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