CAF to probe Nigeria players' ordeal at Libyan airport

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has launched an investigation into an incident in which Nigerian football players on Monday declined to play an AFCON qualifier match against Libya citing "mistreatment" at a Libyan airport.

In an official statement on Monday, CAF said it "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."

CAF added: "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."

Nigerian football players on Monday said they had been left stranded at the Libyan airport for over 12 hours.

Landed 200kms from their booked hotel

The Super Eagles players and staff flew out to Libya on Sunday night, but were diverted to the Al Abraq International Airport instead of their original destination of Benghazi Airport, which is over 200 kilometres (124 miles) and is three-and-a-half hours away from their hotel.

Celal Muheshis, one of Al Abraq International Airport officials, told reporters that the Nigerian team refused to play a match in Libya to boycott Tuesday's Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier with Libya.

The official said the Nigerian players had decided to return to their home country instead of playing the fixture. Some players claimed they were left without food and water.

The Libyan national team had experienced similar treatment ahead of their African Cup of Nations qualifier match in Nigeria on October 11, according to Libyan media reports.

'A move of reciprocity'

The reports claimed the Nigerian team was dropped off at Al Abraq Airport "in a move of reciprocity."

The Libyan Football Federation (LFF) responded to the prolonged delay experienced by the Nigerian football team, citing routine air traffic and logistical challenges as the cause.

"We firmly reject any claims that suggest foul play or sabotage in this situation," the LFF said.

The incident heightened tensions ahead of the AFCON qualifier fixture.

➤ Click here to follow our WhatsApp channel for more stories.