Stranded Super Eagles at Libya airport
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has condemned the ill-treatment of Nigeria Super Eagles who were abandoned without food at the airport for over 12 hours resulting in a postponement of the match.
The Nigerian contingent are on their way back to the country as Nigerians demand strong sanctions against Libya for their ‘inhuman behaviour’.
In a statement on its official website, CAF described the Libyan treatment as ‘disturbing and unacceptable’.
The statement said inter alia: “CAF views the disturbing and unacceptable experiences of the Nigerian National Football Team (Super Eagles) at an airport in Libya in a very serious light.
“The Confederation Africaine de Football (CAF) has been in contact with the Libyan and Nigerian authorities after it had been informed that the Nigerian National Football Team (‘’Super Eagles’’) and their technical team were stranded in disturbing conditions for several hours at an airport that they were allegedly instructed to land by the Libyan authorities.
“The matter has been referred to the CAF Disciplinary Board for investigation and appropriate action will be taken against those who violated the CAF Statutes and Regulations,” the statement read.
The Super Eagles ordeal started on Sunday, October 13, when their chartered ValueJet flight was diverted just an hour before landing to Al Abraq Airport which was not the airport they intended to land. The Al Abraq airport is said to be more than two hours away from their scheduled venue.
The players, led by captain William Troost-Ekong, took to social media to announce their ordeal and expose the Libyan authorities.
But the Libyan Football Federation claimed that the diversion was not intentional but rather a result of standard air traffic control protocols.
