The humiliating treatment of the Super Eagles in Libya, which led to the cancellation of their reverse AFCON 2025 qualifier, is a disgrace to African football and a shameful stain and betrayal of the very values that sports represent – fair play, respect, and unity. The Nigerian delegation of Super Eagles players, officials and other accompanying support staff were left stranded without food, water, internet connection and hotel accommodation and finally returned to Nigeria after nearly 24 hours of being held hostage inside the Al Albraq airport by Libyan authorities. This is more than just about football – it’s about human dignity. The Eagles were in Libya to compete, not to be humiliated. This abhorrent episode reflects a staggering level of disrespect to Nigeria. It is a slap in the face that not only tarnishes Libya’s reputation, but undermines the image and credibility of African Football itself. Subjecting the Super Eagles to deplorable conditions, hostile reception, and outright neglect is not only unacceptable but a betrayal of the spirit of international competition. The Nigerian players deserve better, and the integrity of African football demands that the Confederation of African Football (CAF) address this shameful conduct head-on. CAF must intervene decisively, investigate this matter and hold Libya accountable for this disgraceful debacle.
Available reports said the Super Eagles were scheduled to land in Benghazi on Sunday, but the chartered ValueJet aircraft which departed the Victor Attah International Airport, Uyo via the Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano, was instead diverted to Al-Albraq; 230km from their intended destination. The Libyan Football Federation (LFF) claimed the flight diversion was not intentional, explaining that such disruptions can occur from routine air traffic protocols, security check or other logistics challenges. But the Nigerian authorities are not buying this explanation. According to Super Eagles Media Officer, Promise Efoghe, the trip turned into a nightmare when the pilot began his initial descent on Benghazi but the flight was denied access and rerouted to Al-Albraq airport, three hours away from the venue of the game. The pilot complained that he risks running out of fuel, but was told in a stern manner that the directive to land in Al-Albraq was from “higher authorities.”
Moments after the plane landed in Al Albraq airport, hell was let loose. No official of the Libyan Football Federation was at the airport to receive the delegation, as is the best practice globally. Airport officials could not answer simple questions about the buses that would take the delegation to Benghazi where the NFF had booked hotel rooms. It also turned out that the airport lacked requisite control navigators for landing at such hours. There were no scanning machines, and officials used mobile phones to scan passports. It took over one hour for the team’s luggage to roll through the carousel, despite the fact that the bags and other items were hauled from the aircraft immediately upon arrival. Exit gates from the airport were locked, while security personnel surrounded the facility, thereby refusing the Nigerians from leaving. That was how the ordeal of the delegation began that lasted almost 24 hours before they were allowed to fly back to Nigeria late Monday afternoon.
Hear Super Eagles media officer, Promise Efoghe in his own words: “When delegation members including the NFF President, Comrade Shaibu and Dr Sanusi attempted to venture outside the airport to ascertain if there were vehicles waiting for the team, they were stopped in the most uncouth of manners by airport security personnel…Calls to the General Secretary of LFF, Mr. Abdul-Nasser by Dr Sanusi yielded no fruits as the former kept promising that the buses would arrive in ‘10 minutes’, which later became ‘two hours’, and afterwards, ‘three hours.’ Later in the evening, it was no longer possible to reach him on phone. Frustrated by this attitude, Dr Sanusi approached the security operatives to request that the team be allowed to go out and board the buses the NFF eventually hired. This request was rejected with insults.
“Hour after hour, and with mounting frustration, delegation members, particularly the players, grew restless. There was no food or water provided by the LFF, or where to even procure these items, and there was no network or internet connection at the airport. These swiftly increased the level of frustration and anger. At past midnight, it was learnt that there had been word from ‘higher authorities’ (Libya is a jurisdiction governed by two different administrations – a UN-recognized cabinet in Tripoli and a self-imposed team over Eastern Libya including places like Benghazi and Al-Albraq) that the Nigeria delegation should be delayed for minimum of 10 hours at the airport for what they falsely claimed was done to their team in Nigeria.”
The NFF has denied any allegations of wrongdoing, explaining that the incident in question was entirely created by the Libyans. The Libyans had initially informed the NFF that their contingent would be landing in Port Harcourt, but barely two hours to the team’s arrival in Nigeria, the Libyans notified the NFF that they would be landing in Uyo, not Port Harcourt. Despite this abrupt change, the NFF moved swiftly to get authorities to secure a permit for the aircraft from Port Harcourt to Uyo, but the LFF refused to pay the additional fee the chartered flight company requested to fly to Uyo and opted to travel by road. Even then, the Libyan delegation refused to use buses hired by the NFF and instead hired their own, and disrespected advice not to travel by night. To which end, the Nigerian authorities were forced to provide additional security for the Libyan delegation to travel by night. The NFF even secured direct flight permit from Uyo back to Benghazi for the Libyan delegation. The Libyan authorities’ claim that the humiliating treatment of the Nigerian delegation was retaliation for the alleged poor treatment of the Libyan team in Nigeria is both petty and indefensible. Two wrongs never make a right. Instead of addressing any grievances through proper channels, Libyan authorities chose to stoop to a level of unprofessionalism that disrespects the values of sportsmanship and fair play. Retaliation only deepens division and tarnishes Libya’s credibility as a nation. If there were issues during the Libya’s team visit to Nigeria, they should not have been resolved through shameful, vindictive actions.
Either way, such mistreatment of the Nigerian delegation should never be tolerated. In an era when sports should serve as a bridge of unity, respect, and international cooperation, the disgraceful treatment of the Eagles by their Libyan hosts has cast a dark shadow over Africa’s most prestigious tournament – the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON). The harrowing experience suffered by the Super Eagles in Libya, which led to the cancellation of their AFCON 2025 qualifier match scheduled for today Tuesday, is not only a gross violation of the principles of sportsmanship but a shocking indictment of the lack of humanity shown by Libyan authorities. This disgraceful episode is a stain on both Libyan and African football and should prompt immediate action from CAF and international human rights organizations.
