
William Troost-Ekong, captain of Nigeria’s senior men’s national football team, has strongly criticized the treatment of the team after being stranded for over 12 hours at Al Abaq Airport in Libya.
The team was originally scheduled to land in Benghazi for their 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier but was redirected to Al Abaq without explanation.
Troost-Ekong described the situation as “disgraceful” and accused Libyan authorities of playing “mind games.”
In a series of tweets, he revealed that the team was being held in an abandoned airport with no access to food, drink, or phone connections.
He expressed concerns about safety, questioning the wisdom of traveling by road in Libya and doubting the quality of accommodation and food they would receive.
Troost-Ekong stated that the team had decided not to proceed with the scheduled match, citing safety concerns. “We will NOT play this game,” he declared, urging the Nigerian government to intervene.
The team had secured a 1-0 victory in the first leg in Uyo and was traveling to Libya for the second leg. The Confederation of African Football has yet to respond to the situation.


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