By Habeeb Ibrahim
One of Nigeria’s Super Eagles strikers, Victor Boniface, has taken to social media to voice his frustration with the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and the ongoing situation in Libya, where the Super Eagles are stranded.
Boniface, who plays as a striker for Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen, is known for causing social media controversy, as well as his pace, strength, dribbling ability, finishing, and work ethic in the football world.
In a tweet on X, he wrote, “Been at the airport for almost 13 hours, no food, no Wi-Fi, nowhere to sleep. Africa, we can do better. @caf.”
The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has confirmed that the Super Eagles have been stuck at Al Abraq Airport for over 12 hours after their chartered ValueJet aircraft was unexpectedly diverted from Benghazi.
Reports indicate that the aircraft was rerouted as the pilot was preparing to land, with the Al Abraq International Airport being primarily designated for Hajj operations.
The players and officials are reportedly fatigued and bewildered, as the host Libyan Football Federation failed to provide any reception team or vehicles to transport them to their hotel, which is located three hours away in Benghazi. The NFF had arranged separate transportation for the team, but those plans fell through due to the diversion.
In a series of posts on X, the captain of the Super Eagles of Nigeria, William Troost-Ekong described the dire circumstances, stating, “12+ hours in an abandoned airport in Libya after our plane was diverted whilst descending.
The Libyan government rescinded our approved landing in Benghazi without reason. They’ve locked the airport gates and left us without phone connection, food, or drink. All to play mind games.”
He went on to express his disappointment with the situation, emphasizing, “I’ve experienced issues before playing away in Africa, but this is disgraceful behavior. Even the Tunisian pilot, who managed to navigate the last-minute change, had never encountered anything like this.”
Troost-Ekong also highlighted the treatment of their crew, stating that upon arrival, the pilot was denied accommodation for the team, further adding, “At this point, we have called for our Nigerian government to intervene and rescue us.
As the captain and the team, we have decided that we will NOT play this game. CAF should examine the report and what is happening here. Even if they allow this kind of behavior, let them have the points. We will not accept to travel anywhere by road here; even with security, it’s not safe.”
As a result of these challenges, the Super Eagles have resolved not to participate in the upcoming match, with NFF officials now making arrangements to bring the team back to Nigeria.
