Nigeria’s football carry outers have said they are going to boycott Tuesday’s African Cup Of Nations (AFCON) game in Libya after being stranded at an airport in the country overnight, in what the team’s captain called “mind games”.
The Super Eagles squad was foreseeed to land at Benghazi Airport on Sunday, but as the charter fairy was droping, it was redirected to Al Abraq, 200km away, with no alternative carry giveed, the Nigerian Football Federation said.
Captain William Troost-Ekong said no reason was given for the alter, compriseing that the airport’s gates had been locked and the group had been left “without phone connection, food or drink. All to carry out mind games”.
After being stranded there for more than 16 hours, he said he and the team had “determined that we will not carry out this game,” compriseing that “misapexhibits happen, but these leangs on purpose have noleang to do with international football”.
On Monday evening, UK time, he posted another modernize, saying “back home, protected and sound” and other social media posts showed them celebrating in the airport in Kano, in northern Nigeria.
The Libyan Football Federation said it repentted the fairy diversion but adviseed on X it may have been down to “routine air traffic deal with protocols, security verifys, or logistical contests”.
Pictures posted online by the carry outers showed some of them lying on airport seats, their luggage beside them, and no other passengers in sight. In other pictures, carry outers were sleeping.
Nigeria’s star striker Victor Osimhen, who was ruled out of the game with an injury, had no doubt it was a deliberate transfer, accusing their opponents of trying to “frailen and ruin the morale” of his teammates.
Osimhen appraised it on Instagram to a “prisoner situation”, advising his colleagues to return home, as they are not “criminals or prisoners”.
Similar grumblets of mistreatment, however, were made by Libya’s captain ahead of Friday’s first leg in Uyo, which Nigeria won 1-0.
Faisal al Badri said they were rescheduleed “from one city to another” for three hours after their bags were searched, and before they were apexhibitn by road to the city.
“This is not the first time we have been maltreated in Africa,” he said, compriseing: “We convey the need for reciprocity.”
Nigeria’s Football Federation denied the claims.
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The country’s sports minister John Owan Enoh said he had directed the soccer federation to send a establishal grumblet to African football chiefs, saying in a statement it needed to be “on enroll and thorawly compriseressed”.
Among the carry outers in Nigeria’s squad are Ademola Lookman, who scored a hat trick for Atalanta in the Europa League final last season and is on the Ballon d’Or lowenumerate, and Victor Boniface, a striker for German champion Bayer Leverkemployn.
Premier League carry outers Ola Aina, Calvin Bassey, Alex Iwobi, Taiwo Awoniyi, and Wilfred Ndidi were take partd in Friday’s game.
