FOLLOWING the harrowing experience they went through in Libya, Nigeria’s senior men’s football team arrived at the Malam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano State Monday evening.
The team’s arrival in Nigeria followed over 15 hours of delays and discomfort that have sparked widespread criticisms and concerns from Nigerians and football lovers across the world.
The Super Eagles defeated the Libyan Mediterranean Knights 1:0 at the Uyo Stadium on Friday, October 11, and had hoped to be victorious again in the oil-rich North African nation.
However, the team’s ordeal began on Sunday, October 13, when their flight was unexpectedly diverted to a different airport, away from Benghazi, where they were supposed to play a reverse Africa Nations Cup qualifier in Libya, causing them to be stranded for hours.
Images of the team circulated by the team’s captain Williams Troos-Ekong, showed players lying on airport benches, visibly fatigued, as they waited for the travel issues to be resolved.
Moving from the Al Abraq Airport would make the team travel by road for three hours before reaching Benghazi.
Libya has faced much insecurity over the past years, and many Nigerians believe several of its communities remain unsafe, especially for players of the Supers Eagles calibre.
The incident led to the Super Eagles agreeing to boycott the match after the humiliation they suffered.
The ICIR reported that no official of the Libya Football Federation welcomed the players and their gaffers at the airport where they were asked to land.
The development might not be unconnected with the incident that happened when the Libyan football team visited Nigeria last week to play the first leg of the qualifier.
On Tuesday, October 8, after landing in Uyo, the Libyan team voiced its dissatisfaction, alleging mistreatment by the NFF.
It complained that the NFF treated its members badly by taking them through a long, tortuous journey by road from the Port Harcourt International Airport to Uvo in a vehicle without air conditioning.
However, the NFF refuted the claims, insisting that the Libyan Football Federation created chaos for its own team.
Reacting to the crisis faced by the Super Eagles on Monday, Nigeria’s minister of sport, John Ewan Enoh, has said the players’ safety was the priority of the Nigerian government and not the African Nations Cup qualifier.
Meanwhile, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) described the team’s experience in Libya as disturbing and unacceptable.
Enoh said the government would ensure the players’ safety despite the desire of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) that the match go on as scheduled.
Usman Mustapha is a solution journalist with International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: [email protected]. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M