The delegation of Nigeria to Tuesday’s 2025 AFCON qualifier against Libya still remained at the Al Abraq Airport 12 hours after landing in Libya.
The chartered ValueJet aircraft was, strangely and in a dangerous manner, diverted to the small airport away from Benghazi just as the pilot was completing his approach to the Benghazi Airport.
The Al Abraq International Airport is only used for hajj operations.
Fatigued players and officials have remained nonplussed as the host Libyan Football Federation failed to send any reception team or even vehicles to take the delegation members from the airport to their hotel, said to be three hours away in Benghazi.
The NFF made arrangements for separate vehicles for the team but the plan was unhinged by the diversion of the aircraft.
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Players have resolved not to play the match any longer as NFF officials are making plans to fly the team back home.
The NFF was ready to book hotel rooms for players and officials close to the said airport, but were told by all hotels approached that they have been instructed not to welcome Nigerians.
The aircraft crew also went searching for hotel rooms, but were told the same thing.
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Somebody should put a call to CAF and FIFA immediately. Besides, Nigerian security operatives should also Wade on immediately to protect the team. Sad indeed.
Lodge a complaint to CAF expeditiously and abandon the game…This is inhumane and any country indulging in this type of act should be punished or banned. How can you keep officials and players at their airport for 12 hours. The game is tomorrow.
Trust me, if Nigeria abandons the match, this CAF will give Libya 3 points walkover points.
Why do you think they have so much audacity. What has Gusau said? What has Enoch said? What has Motsepe said? CAF is in Egypt and in the pockets of the naturally aggressive Maghrebs.
SE has no choice than to go play half fit and jaded from all the long travels and psychological trauma. The aim of the Libyans is to get walkover points or play a tired Nigerian team.
In fact, at this rate, the ref is watching and will be afraid for his safety. He will likely do everything to ensure they win or draw to avoid commotion at the final whistle.
Kel you have said it all but they should avoid this match if it comes to this because if they play other African teams will not hesitate to do worst to Nigeria. It feels sad when you hear that term “we should not entertain Nigerians”. Incompetent NFF and Sports minister of Batman where una dey??? Incompetent people that doesn’t know how to apply laws. Neither do they know the rules of the game they’re even heading to take advantage and get the walkover over Libya rather. You can not tell me Libya will get free if they maltreat RSA like this, this is a bizarre situation honestly speaking they better boycott than reducing themselves like 3points monger. Nigeria will still qualify regardless of any nonsense they and Caf are up to.
What the Libyan football authorities have done here is nothing short of disgraceful, barbaric, and completely unbefitting of any country that claims to uphold the standards of international football. Twelve hours of stranding the Super Eagles at an obscure airport used primarily for Hajj operations? No reception team, no transportation, no basic respect for the Nigerian delegation? This is not just incompetence; it’s a deliberate act of hostility.
Let’s not kid ourselves—this isn’t an isolated incident. North African teams have a notorious history of pulling such vengeful stunts against Sub-Saharan African teams. From tampering with hotel arrangements to “mysteriously” diverting flights, they’ve made it a sick habit of exploiting every opportunity to throw off their opponents, particularly when they feel threatened by the superior quality of football. Libya is simply continuing this unethical tradition.
Remember when Moroccan players, in their post-World Cup arrogance, declared they aren’t Africans? Maybe it’s time to grant them their wish and cut the North Africans loose from CAF. Their football tactics are more aligned with the Middle Eastern style of play and governance, so why not send them packing to the AFC? Let them face the Gulf countries where they can try their underhanded games there. They’ve already mentally checked out of the African brotherhood; CAF should just do the logical thing and separate them once and for all.
The Nigerian team’s decision not to play is entirely justified. This is beyond a football match—it’s about dignity and fairness. You don’t treat a national team like some kind of unwanted baggage. These players are professionals representing a sovereign nation. The fact that local hotels were “instructed” not to accommodate them shows that this was orchestrated at a high level, probably with the blessings of the Libyan government. If anything, this is a national insult.
CAF needs to wake up and deal with this issue decisively. The game should be canceled, and the three points should be awarded to Nigeria. If CAF wants to maintain even a shred of credibility, they must move swiftly to correct this injustice. And if for some reason CAF thinks diplomacy is the answer, then the game should be moved to a neutral venue—preferably a country where common sense and basic human decency still exist.
Enough is enough. Nigerian football deserves better, and the Libyans need to be held accountable for this disgraceful, premeditated act of sabotage.
The Libyan football authorities didn’t just pull a dirty trick; they went beyond sabotage into something far more sinister and potentially murderous. Let’s call it what it is. Diverting the Nigerian delegation’s plane to a barely operational airport meant for Hajj flights, miles away from Benghazi, wasn’t just an inconvenience—it was a deliberate, life-threatening act. Benghazi’s airport wasn’t closed by accident. What if the plane ran out of fuel in the middle of this reckless diversion? We could’ve been looking at a catastrophic disaster here, and for what? Revenge? In the name of football?
Are we seriously supposed to believe this was all about a football match? That the lives of the Nigerian players, officials, and crew were fair game in the Libyans’ twisted plan for some petty payback? It’s beyond disgraceful. This was a calculated move that could’ve easily led to fatalities. The question is, was it worth it? Is a game greater than the lives of people—husbands, sons, brothers, and breadwinners—trapped on that plane? The Libyan authorities couldn’t care less about that, apparently.
And let’s not forget the utter absurdity of it all. Hotels refusing to accommodate Nigerians because they were “instructed” not to? It’s nothing short of barbaric. This isn’t football rivalry, this is criminal, and the intent here was clear: they wanted to frustrate the Nigerian team to a breaking point or worse, maybe even hoping for an accident.
CAF needs to come down hard on Libya for this murderous stunt. This wasn’t just a violation of sportsmanship; it was a violation of human decency. The match shouldn’t just be postponed—it should be outright canceled, and Nigeria should be awarded the points. This goes beyond football; it’s a question of humanity and respect, which the Libyans have clearly thrown in the trash.
And if CAF has any ounce of integrity left, they’ll consider booting these North African teams out of African football altogether. Send them to the Middle East where they belong, since they’ve already shown us with their actions and words that they don’t even consider themselves part of Africa. This nonsense has gone on long enough. Nigerians deserve better. Football deserves better. And Libya, well, they deserve the shame that comes with being exposed for what they truly are—a bunch of sore losers playing with lives in the name of a game.
I accidentally posted under @Ade, as it was selected by default after several failed attempts to use my own username, @Papafem. I apologize to anyone with a similar username. I also urge the CSN to improve the site, as it takes far too long to share our opinions here.
That is bizarre I hope CSN does not share privacy else them go pay money due to privacy breach. I just saw someone’s email address and username Amin saved as well CSN this is crazy!!!!
They’ve been doing that shit for a while…I would want to reply to comments and see other people’s email and their first and last name.
It’s easy to hack a lot of things here. I’ve seen those too. It made me hesitant to keep posting. Poor site security. I know CSN are using WP, but at least they should abandon their comments plugin and switch to a paid, more secure one or ebrn a free option like discord.