Nigeria/Libya: Africa Cup of Nations Bosses Investigate Nigeria Squad’s Libyan Airport Debacle

African football chiefs launched an inquiry on Tuesday into an incident in which a plane carrying the Nigeria football squad and its technical advisers was diverted from its scheduled destination and landed at an airstrip hundreds of kilometres away from the venue of their Africa Cup of Nations clash against Libya.

The 2023 Cup of Nations runners-up were due to land at Benghazi airport for Tuesday night’s Group D encounter but the pilot of their aircraft was told to land at Al Abraq Airport in Bayda.

Players remained in the departures lounge for more than 16 hours before returning to Nigeria and boycotting the game.

“The matter has been referred to the Confederation of African Football’s disciplinary board for investigation,” said a spokesperson for the confederation which organises the Africa Cup of Nations.

“Appropriate action will be taken against those who violated the confederation’s statutes and regulations.”

On Friday night, Fisayo Dele-Bashiru scored in the closing stages to secure Nigeria’s victory and keep them top of the four team pool with three of the six matches played. The defeat left Libya rooted to the bottom with one point out of a possible nine.

Clash

Before the clash in Uyo, southern Nigeria, the Libyan team accused Nigerian customs officials of excessive scrutiny. Skipper Faisal Al-Badri said the players were delayed for several hours during luggage checks. Nigerian authorities have denied accusations of maltreatment.

On Monday, Nigeria skipper William Troost-Ekong suggested an element of tit-for-tat.

Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters

Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox

Success!

Almost finished…

We need to confirm your email address.

To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you.

Error!

There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later.