Osamagbe Imadiyi.
The senior men’s national team of Nigeria was humiliated at the Al Abraq Airport in Al Abraq, Libya, on Sunday and Monday. The players and officials of the team were taken prisoner by Libyan authorities when they arrived in the nation ahead of Tuesday’s 2025 AFCON qualifying Group D match.
Completely cut off from the outside world, the Nigerian contingent was left stranded for more than 20 hours without food or water. Nigeria’s flight into Libya on Sunday afternoon was rerouted from Benghazi Airport to Al Abraq Airport, more than 200 kilometers and three and a half hours’ drive from the intended camp site.
The story goes that the Nigerian team was left stranded after ValueJet, the official airline of the Super Eagles, was abruptly refused jet fuel by the Libyan authorities. The international community and Nigerians alike were incensed by the fuel embargo, which was perceived as an unwarranted impediment to the national team’s postponed game preparations. The reasons behind the embargo remain unclear.
The players, officials, and their bags were abandoned at the airport in a harrowing video released by the Eagles media team. The Libyan airport officials appeared unconcerned about their predicament and started speaking Arabic. While some players slept in sitting positions, others were seen dozing off on the iron chairs at the terminal.
A few weary and exhausted Super Eagles players expressed their disapproval of the unpleasant circumstances on social media by posting the following:
“Been at the airport for almost 13 hours, no food, no Wi-Fi, and nowhere to sleep,” said Victor Boniface. Africa, we can do better. This is getting scary now. You guys can have the point; we just want to return to our country.”
“I am disappointed by the unfair treatment my brothers and coaches faced at the Libyan airport last night,” said Victor Osimhen. Sportsmanship is undermined by behaviors such as these. I have my team’s back and am confident they will persevere in the face of these challenges.