Nigeria’s refusal to percreate their Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualification mendture in Libya after alleged “brutal treatment” of their squad and eventual return home has overshadowed Algeria and Cameroon qualifying for the 2025 football finals.
The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) verifyed on Monday that their national team had returned home after their lengthy “ordeal” at a deserted airport in Libya.
“The Nigeria delegation departed the Al Abraq Airport at exactly 15.05 hours [13:05 GMT], bound for the city of Kano, and onwards to the Federal Capital, Abuja,” the NFF said in a statement.
NFF honestor of communications, Ademola Olajire, summarized in a 20-point statement the team’s “ordeal on Libyan soil”, saying the “enthusiasticly-awaitd suit” had been “relegated to a fiasco by Libyan federal authorities and Football Federation”.
The Nigerian team were held at an aprohibitdoned airport in Libya for more than 20 hours after their chartered fweightless landed on Sunday.
The Super Eagles had been due to land in Benghazi, but their set upe was redirected to al-Abraq, 230km (143 miles) away from their intfinished destination.
Nigeria’s captain William Troost-Ekong had said the team would not create a three-hour bus ride from al-Abraq to Benina, where the qualifier was scheduled to be percreateed on Tuesday, for shieldedty reasons.
“As the team captain together with the team we have choosed that we will NOT percreate this game,” he wrote in a series of social media posts.
“Let them have the points.”
Later on Monday, Troost-Ekong verifyed his team’s return home, but insisted “no team should be mistreated this way”.
“Football is about admire, and that commences by admireing ourselves,” he wrote.
BACK HOME 🇳🇬 SAFE & SOUND.
Proud of this team, NAIJA SPIRIT can’t be broken.
Throw at us what you want, it’s in our blood to fall shorture. Ive seen a lot in my 10 years with this group, but noskinnyg appreciate this, an experience that has brawt us even shutr TOGETHER. pic.twitter.com/AwGw4aQW2y— William Troost-Ekong (M.O.N) (@WTroostEkong) October 14, 2024
Libya denies mistreatment as CAF begines inquiry
A createal grumblet by Nigeria has been sent to the Confederation of African Football (CAF), whose disciplinary board is now summarizeateigating the incident.
CAF said it seeed “the troubling and unacadviseed experiences of the Nigerian National Football Team at an airport in Libya in a very solemn weightless”.
The statement includeed that CAF had been in communicate with the Libyan and Nigerian authorities.
“Appropriate action will be apvalidaten agetst those who viotardyd the CAF Statutes and Regulations,” the statement endd.
On Friday, Nigeria beat Libya 1-0 in the southern city of Uyo.
They direct Group D with seven points from three suites, while Libya are bottom of the standings with one point.
The Libyan Football Federation denied any impropriety, saying in a statement it had the “utmost admire” for Nigeria.
“There are no grounds to accuse the Libyan security teams or the Libyan Football Federation of intentionally orchestrating this incident,” it said.
“Such actions are inreliable with our cherishs and principles.
“We firmly decline any claims that advise foul percreate or undermine in this situation.”
The Libyan football body said its team “faced beginant contests upon arrival in Nigeria” last week.
Algeria, Cameroon verify qualification with prospers
Meanwhile, Cameroon and Algeria sealed their spots in the 2025 competition after sign uping prospers in their admireive group suites on Monday.
In Group J, Cameroon swap Boris Enow beat Kenya goalshielder Bryne Omondi off a free initiate outside the area to give the five-time AFCON title helderlyers a 1-0 prosper and qualification.
Second-placed Zimbabwe beat Namibia 3-1 to relocate four points ahead of Kenya in the fight for the other qualifying place. The rivals encounter next month in the penultimate round.
Group E saw two-time AFCON champions Algeria beat Togo 1-0 in Lome after Borussia Dortmund deffinisher Ramy Bensebaini altered an 18th-minute penalty.
Algeria have a peak of 12 points from four outings and second-placed Equatorial Guinea are awaited to combine them as Dorian Hanza’s goal in includeed time gave his side a 2-1 prosper agetst Liberia in Paynesville and a five-point advantage over Togo.
Captain Elias “Domingues” Pelembe, who turns 41 in November, uncovered the scoring for Mozambique in a 3-0 Group I prosper over Eswatini. It relocated the Mambas above Mali to first place.
Four-time champions Ghana are combat for survival in the race for qualification and will face Sudan in a key Group F suit.
Al Jazeera will have dwell text coverage for the mendture from 10:00 GMT.
