Why Nigeria's Soccer Team Is Boycotting AFCON Qualifier Against Libya
The Super Eagles said they endured a torrid 24 hours where they were confined to a largely deserted airport “without phone connection, food or drink.”
Update: This post has been updated with the latest developments as at 18:30 GMT+1 on Tuesday, October 15.
Nigeria’s Super Eagles are back in the country, as they’ve chosen to boycott their African Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifying match against Libya over maltreatment by the host country. On Monday, captain of the Nigerian team, William Troost-Ekong, shared a thread of X posts and video stating that the team had chosen not to play the match scheduled for Tuesday at the Benina Martyrs Stadium, about 19km (12 miles) east of Benghazi.
Africa's football governing body, Confederation of African Football (CAF) has now announced that the match will not take place as scheduled, adding that it will refer the case to its relevant bodies.
The Nigerian team arrived in Libya on Sunday night, and were supposed to land in the North African country’s capital, Tripoli, before taking a two-hour road trip to Benghazi, the second most populous city in Libya. However, they changed plans and decided to head straight to Benghazi, in order to cut down any fatigue from road travel, since they would have just one day to prepare for the match.
According to multiple reports and social media posts by the players themselves, their flight was diverted just before reaching Benghazi airport, and their plane was ordered to land at the largely deserted Al Abraq International Airport. “12+ hours in an abandoned airport in Libya after our plane was diverted whilst descending. Libyan government rescinded our approved landing in Benghazi with no reason,” Troost-Ekong wrote in an X post early Monday morning. “They’ve locked the airport gates and left us without phone connection, food or drink. All to play mind games.”
In the hours that followed, social media was flooded with photos of Super Eagles players sleeping on the benches on the airport. As Troost-Ekong stated, many believed it was the Libyan football authorities “play[ing] mind games.” Also, some said it was retribution for the Libyan team not being well-hosted by Nigeria last week, when they visited the west African country for the first leg of their AFCON qualifier. Nigeria won Friday’s match by a lone goal. However, those allegations had been debunked by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) last week when Libya’s team captain Faisal Al-Badri first made them.
In a short statement on Monday evening, CAF said that it had been in contact with Nigerian and Libyan authorities and had referred the case to its disciplinary board for investigation. “Appropriate action will be taken against those who violated the CAF Statutes and Regulations,” the statement added.
“As things escalated, this time overcoming meant taking a stand for what’s right regardless of the consequences,” Troost-Ekong wrote in an X post after the team landed in Nigeria. “No team should be mistreated this way. Football is about respect, and that starts by respecting ourselves.”