Super Eagles players and officials held at Libyan Airport ahead of AFCON qualifier
The Super Eagles of Nigeria and officials from the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) were held at Al-Abaq Airport by Libyan authorities on Sunday, disrupting their travel plans ahead of their AFCON 2025 qualifier against Libya.
The team had left Uyo earlier in the day, stopping briefly in Kano before flying towards Tripoli. From there, they initially planned a two-hour road trip to Benghazi, where the game will be held at the 10,000-capacity Martyrs of Benina Stadium. However, to avoid the physical stress of a long road journey, they decided to fly directly to Benghazi.
Their flight, however, was unexpectedly diverted to Al-Abaq Airport, located two hours away from their intended destination. Upon arrival, Nigerian players and officials were detained at the airport, and the reason for the disruption remains unclear at this time.
The Super Eagles travelled to Libya for the second leg of the qualifier after defeating the Mediterranean Knights 1-0 in Nigeria, thanks to a goal by Lazio’s Fisayo Dele-Bashiru.
The match is scheduled to kick off at 8:00 pm WAT on Tuesday, October 15. With time running short, Nigeria will be hoping to resolve the situation quickly to allow the team enough time to rest and prepare adequately for the crucial encounter.
