Nigeria Super Eagles forward Victor Osimhen has condemned the inhuman treatment meted out to the country’s football delegation by Libyan authorities.
Taking to his social media handle, the reigning CAF Footballer of the Year expressed his disappointment with the ‘unfair treatment’ faced by the team and the coaching crew at the Libyan Airport.
He berated the Libyan authorities for going against the spirit of sportsmanship while expressing his support and solidarity for his compatriots.
He also called on CAF to intervene to save the situation.
“I am disappointed by the unfair treatment my brothers and coaches faced at the Libyan airport last night. Actions like this go against the spirit of sportsmanship. My support is with my team, and I know they’ll stay strong despite these obstacles,” Osimhen said on Instagram.
“I call on CAF and other football bodies to intervene, as my teammates and officials are still stranded at the airport in Libya. This is uncalled for and inhumane. We stand together, stronger than ever.”
CAF breaks silence on Nigeria Super Eagles saga in Libya
Following viral footage that flooded social media due to the incident, CAF has issued an official statement to address the uproar. The football governing house in Africa said they have contacted Nigerian and Libyan football authorities.
They also revealed that the matter has been referred to the CAF Disciplinary Board for investigation with appropriate disciplinary actions to be taken for potential breach of CAF statutes and regulations.
“The Confederation Africaine de Football (CAF) has been in contact with the Libyan and Nigerian authorities after it had been informed that the Nigerian National Football Team (‘’Super Eagles’’) and their technical team were stranded in disturbing conditions for several hours at an airport that they were allegedly instructed to land by the Libyan authorities.
“The matter has been referred to the CAF Disciplinary Board for investigation and appropriate action will be taken against those who violated the CAF Statutes and Regulations.”
The Nigeria Super Eagles were stuck at Al ABraq Airport in Libya for 17 hours before they were allowed to leave following widespread condemnation of the act by netizens.
How Libya Held Nigeria Super Eagles Hostage
According to the team’s captain William-Troost Ekong, Libyan authorities rescinded their decision to allow their flight to stop at Benghazi – the location for the match venue.
The pilot, who was identified as Tunisian, was ordered to fly to Al ABraq Airport which is three hours away from Benghazi. Also, the Super Eagles were subjected to inhuman treatment for several hours without proper transportation logistics to convey them to the match venue.
Ekong also revealed that only the pilot was offered accommodation in the facility while the Nigerian delegation wasn’t. Some players slept on cozy benches while others returned to the plane to sleep. Meanwhile, they had no access to water or food, including internet connection for hours.
From the diversion of the flight, hostile reception at Al ABraq Airport, and poor transportation logistics – all were understood as mind games to weaken the team’s morale ahead of the game.
Also, it was said to be a ploy by the host country to avenge their claims of similar poor treatment in Nigeria when they arrived in the country for the first leg of the tie.
According to the Libyan delegation, Nigeria forced the team to travel by road on unconditioned buses for several hours to the match venue.
The Nigeria Football Federation debunked the report, saying the visitors caused their problems as they only informed them of their imminent arrival just one hour after taking off.
Moreover, plans were made for them to land at the match venue in Uyo but they chose to stop at Port Harcourt and then hired buses to travel by road to the match venue.
At the time of filing this report, the Super Eagles contingents have been repatriated from the Al ABraq Airport and have travelled back home, refusing to honour the fixture unless it is rescheduled on neutral ground.
