Nigeria captain William Troost-Ekong has revealed that his squad are set to return to their homeland after an eventful trip to Libya which saw them stranded at an airport.
The Super Eagles were set to face Libya in the second leg of their Africa Cup of Nations qualifier on Tuesday evening, though it is now unlikely that the match will go ahead.
Following their 1-0 win in the first leg, Nigeria travelled to northern Africa for the clash at the Benina Martyrs Stadium. However, their travel plans were thrown into jeopardy when the Libyan Government allegedly ordered the flight to be diverted to the Al-Abraw Airport, over three hours away from their original destination.
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Players were then brought into the airport and left for over 12 hours without any food, water or information on what had happened and the plan going forward.
Some stars took to social media to complain about how they had been treated, with Troost-Ekong writing that his team would refuse to play after being ‘held hostage’. Premier League stars Calvin Bassey, Wilfred Ndidi and Taiwo Awoniyi were among those in the facilities.
Two hours after his initial outburst, Troost-Ekong revealed that he had learned that there was fuel available at the airport but it was not being released as frustrations continued to grow among the squad.
Power of social media. Apparently our plane is being fueled as we speak and we should be leaving to Nigeria shortly. Thanks for everyone’s support! ????????????
— William Troost-Ekong (M.O.N) (@WTroostEkong) October 14, 2024
I REITERATE: We would NEVER treat a guest nation for a game in this way. Mistakes happen, delays happen. But never on purpose!
The ex-Tottenham star has now confirmed that the plane is being refuelled and his team will now return to Nigeria, throwing the AFCON plans into jeopardy. He wrote on X: “Power of social media. Apparently our plane is being fuelled as we speak and we should be leaving to Nigeria shortly. Thanks for everyone’s support!
“I REITERATE: We would NEVER treat a guest nation for a game in this way. Mistakes happen, delays happen. But never on purpose!”
This is getting scary now
— Victor Boniface (@boniface_jrn) October 14, 2024
You guys can have the point
We just want to return to our country
Bayer Leverkusen striker Victor Boniface provided regular updates on how he and his teammates were being left in the dark throughout the entire situation, admitting that he would rather Nigeria forfeit the match and have clarity on what was going on than remain at the airport.
He wrote: “This is getting scary now You guys can have the point We just want to return to our country.” He had tweeted earlier on Monday morning: “Been at the airport for almost 13 hours no food no wifi nowhere to sleep African we can do better.”
