Libya ordeal: Gusau vows to protect Nigeria’s dignity
The president of the Nigeria Football Federation, Ibrahim Gusau, has vowed to fight with everything to protect the dignity of the country and the lives of the players.
The resolve comes on the maltreatment of Nigeria’s senior men’s national team by Libyan authorities during their trip to the country for the second leg of their 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying Group D fixture against the Mediterranean Knights, only to be subjected to inhumane treatment upon arrival on Sunday.
In a video posted by the Eagles media team, the players and officials were left stranded with their luggage at the airport, with the Libyan airport officials indifferent to their plight and conversing in Arabic.
Libya were scheduled to host the three-time African champions at the 10,000-capacity Martyrs of Benina Stadium in Benina, located just 10 kilometres from Benghazi, but their plane was diverted to the Al Abraq Airport, which is over 200 km and three and a half hours drive from the planned camp site.
The Al Abraq International Airport, typically used for hajj operations, lacked basic amenities, leaving players and officials tired and frustrated. Neither a receptive team nor vehicles were provided by the Libyan Football Federation, forcing the Nigeria Football Federation to make an alternate transportation arrangement.
The Nigerian contingent was caged at the airport for over 20 hours without food or water and completely shut out of the world, compelling the three-time Africa champions to boycott the game.
Speaking in an interview with Super Sports, Gusau said,
“We have been in this system for quite some time, and there is nothing we have not seen when it comes to this kind of issue, but this one has gone to a certain level that we don’t even know what to say.
“We can have problems with our clearance and spend five hours when we are supposed to spend two hours; this is normal, but keeping us for almost 20 hours is a big issue.
“They kept our players in a place without internet, without food and water, and they couldn’t even take a shower. You can see the level of trauma that the players went through before some of them started complaining, and that was why the captain and the players decided that they were not going to play. It was practically impossible for them to be at their best before the match.”
