NEW DELHI: The Nigerian national football team found themselves in a distressing situation as they were reportedly stranded at an airport in Libya, devoid of food and water, mere 24 hours before their crucial match against the host nation.
Libya, however, expressed their discontent, alleging that they were subjected to 'poor treatment' during their visit to Nigeria. As tensions escalate ahead of the return leg, Nigeria's players have been left exasperated by their current predicament, with Leicester City midfielder Wilfred Ndidi going as far as to suggest that they were being held 'hostage' by their hosts.
In the previous encounter between the two sides, which took place in Nigeria as part of the African Cup of Nations qualifiers, the Super Eagles emerged victorious with a narrow 1-0 margin, thanks to a late goal from Fissayo Dele-Bashiru.
According to media reports, the Nigerian players and team officials were virtually held hostage for over 12 hours at Al Abraq International Airport, which was about three hours away by road to Benghazi, the venue of Tuesday's match against Libya.
The plane, carrying both players and officials, was unexpectedly rerouted from its original destination of Benghazi to Al Abraq, a smaller airport primarily used for hajj operations, while in mid-flight.
Upon landing at Al Abraq, the Nigerian team found themselves stranded without any support from the Libyan Football Federation. The host team neglected to make the necessary arrangements to transport the team to Benghazi, leaving them in a difficult position.
The vehicle arranged for the trip by the officials of Super Eagles was also not allowed to access the airport further compounding the challenges faced by the Nigerian team.
As a result, the Nigerian team withdrew from their Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Libya on Monday, according to captain William Troost-Ekong.
