Super Eagles Withdraw from Match Due to Safety Concerns

The Nigerian national football team, the Super Eagles, have withdrawn from their upcoming African Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifying match against Libya. This decision follows a distressing incident where the team was left stranded for over 12 hours at Al Abraq International Airport in Libya due to a last-minute diversion of their chartered flight. Originally, the flight was approved to land in Benghazi, close to the venue of the match. Instead, it was redirected to a smaller airport far from their destination without any support or transport arrangements from the host nation.

The Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) has expressed strong disapproval of the handling of the situation by Libyan authorities, highlighting the lack of basic provisions such as food and accommodation. The players, fatigued and frustrated by the ordeal, collectively decided not to participate in the scheduled match. Subsequently, the NFF began making arrangements to return the team to Nigeria. This incident has cast a shadow over the AFCON qualifiers, with the Super Eagles preparing to file a formal complaint with the Confederation of African Football (CAF) regarding the incident.