On Sunday, the Super Eagles team was supposed to land in Benghazi, but their plane was rerouted to Al Abraq, which is almost 230 kilometers (143 miles) away.
After making plans to go, the traveling party was “completely abandoned,” according to a Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) official who spoke to Sport Africa. They were then detained within the airport building.
Captain William Troost-Ekong urged his nation’s authorities “to intervene and rescue us” after stating that the team had made the decision not to participate in the game.
The safe return was the primary worry, according to Senator John Owan Enoh, Nigeria’s minister of sports development.
While denying allegations of foul play, the Libyan Football Federation (LFF) expressed its “deep concern” over reports regarding the circumstances faced by the visiting team.
“We want to reassure our Nigerian counterparts that the flight diversion was not intentional, and we have the utmost respect for them,” the statement read.
Following the Super Eagles’ “stranding in disturbing conditions,” the Confederation of African Football (Caf) has been in communication with officials from Nigeria and Libya.
The incident has been referred to its disciplinary board for investigation, and if its statutes and regulations have been broken, action will be taken, according to a statement from Caf.
