By Ezekiel Waheo
The Super Eagles of Nigeria have pulled out of Tuesday’s African Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifying match against Libya, citing threats to their safety and hostile conditions in the host country.
This decision was made public by the team captain, William Troost-Ekong, in an Instagram story on Monday morning.
“We have kept our spirit up, but these are no conditions we will accept when done on purpose,” Troost-Ekong explained.
“Travelling by road is not safe here, and you can only imagine how they would treat us in the hotel or the food they will try to give us. It was funny before, but as a team, we respect ourselves and under these conditions, we won’t play.”
The captain’s statement, posted on his Instagram account, further mentioned that the players arrived in Libya on Monday evening and have faced hostilities since their arrival.
He added, “@caf_online,” tagging the Confederation of African Football (CAF) in his message, highlighting the gravity of the situation.
Shortly after, the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) released an official statement confirming the team’s withdrawal and detailing the challenges they faced.“The Nigerian delegation for Tuesday’s 2025 AFCON qualifier against Libya is still at Al Abraq Airport, 12 hours after landing.
The chartered ValueJet aircraft was, strangely and in a dangerous manner, diverted to the small airport just as the pilot was completing his approach to Benghazi Airport,” the NFF statement read.
The NFF emphasized that the players made the decision not to play under such conditions, and the federation is now working on plans to fly the team back home.
Tuesday’s match was the fourth in Nigeria’s campaign to qualify for the 2025 AFCON in Morocco. With this withdrawal, the team’s road to qualification faces an uncertain future.
