ABUJA, Nigeria – Nigeria have pulled out of their Africa Cup of Nations qualifier in Libya and have been heading house on Monday, their captain mentioned, in protest at being diverted and deserted for hours in an airport removed from the match venue.
The Super Eagles had been as a consequence of play Libya on Tuesday within the metropolis of Benghazi, the place they hoped to seal a qualification berth for the finals in Morocco late subsequent 12 months.
But after being stranded for greater than 16 hours at an airport 250 km (155 miles) away from their supposed vacation spot, the Nigerian gamers mentioned they might not fulfil the fixture.
“As the captain, together with the team, we have decided that we will not play this game,” William Troost-Ekong mentioned on X. “Apparently our plane is being fuelled as we speak and we should be leaving to Nigeria shortly.”
The Nigeria Football Federation mentioned that because the staff’s constitution flight was descending to Benghazi, it was diverted to Al Abraq International Airport with no different transport provided.
‘AFRICA, WE CAN DO BETTER’
The Libyan Football Federation mentioned the incident was not deliberate and urged Nigeria to be understanding, including that their gamers had additionally confronted journey difficulties in Nigeria final week.
“We have the utmost respect for our Nigerian counterparts and want to reassure them that the diversion of their flight was not intentional,” it mentioned, including that disruptions can happen from routine air visitors protocols, safety checks or different logistical challenges.
Grant Dalton is the chief govt of the America’s Cup.
“We firmly reject any claims that suggest foul play or sabotage in this situation. We hope that this misunderstanding can be resolved with understanding and goodwill.”
Nigeria striker Victor Boniface complained he had been caught on the airport for nearly 13 hours with no meals, WiFi or place to sleep. “Africa, we can do better,” he mentioned on X.
It is unclear what is going to occur to the factors from the sport with the matter to be referred to the Confederation of African Football’s disciplinary board.
CAF mentioned in a press release that it was in touch with authorities in each nations, with “appropriate action” to be taken in opposition to anybody who violated its guidelines.
Nigeria beat Libya 1-0 within the reverse fixture in Uyo on Friday due to a late objective from Fisayo Dele-Bashiru, taking them to seven factors from three video games of their group.
Benin have six factors, Rwanda two and Libya one. The high two groups in every group advance to the 24-team finals.
