Super Eagles return to Nigeria after Libyan airport incident

The Nigeria squad were stranded at a Libyan airport, two hours from Benghazi, where they were due to play the second leg of their Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Libya.

The Super Eagles' flight was "diverted to Al-Abraq Airport while it was in the air, with the squad prevented from leaving the airport" on Monday. The Nigerian players were unable to leave the airport for more than 12 hours, with no telephone connection, food or drink.

Some of the national team's top players such as Bayer Leverkusen star Victor Boniface and captain William Troost-Ekong were lobbying on social media for the players to be allowed to leave Libya, as well as to cancel Tuesday's encounter.

 

October 14, 2024

As a result, the Al-Kholood centre-back announced on X, formerly known as Twitter, that they will be flying back to Nigeria in the next few hours. Many of the players have felt hostage to the Libyan government, who have allegedly retaliated for the delay their players suffered when they travelled to Nigeria.

The second leg of the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers between Libya and Nigeria has now been cancelled, with the Nigerians returning home refused to play.

 

October 14, 2024