Nigeria – No Food, Nowhere to Sleep: Boniface Laments Super Eagles’ Ordeal in Libya

By Onoja Baba, Nigeria

Nigerian footballer, Victor Boniface, has voiced his frustration after the Super Eagles were stranded for over 12 hours at Al Abraq International Airport in Libya.

The team had flown to the country for a crucial AFCON 2025 qualifier but encountered unexpected delays and logistical issues upon arrival.

In a post on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) on Monday, Boniface expressed the dire situation, saying, “Been at the airport for almost 13 hours, no food, no Wi-Fi, nowhere to sleep. Africa, we can do better.”

The Super Eagles had landed in Libya aboard a chartered ValueJet flight on Sunday, but their travel plans were thrown into disarray when the aircraft was suddenly diverted from Benghazi Airport to the smaller Al Abraq International Airport.

Typically reserved for Hajj operations, Al Abraq’s limited capacity and infrastructure left the Nigerian team without basic facilities.

According to the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), the flight was on its final approach to Benghazi before the diversion took place, leaving the players, coaching staff, and officials stranded with no reception or transportation from the Libyan Football Federation.

Arrangements had been made for the team’s transportation to their hotel in Benghazi, a three-hour drive away, but the diversion upended these plans.

In a statement released by the NFF, they lamented the situation: “Fatigued players and officials have remained nonplussed as the host Libyan Football Federation failed to send any reception team or even vehicles to take the delegation members from the airport to their hotel.”

The statement further noted that while the NFF had made separate vehicle arrangements for the team, the sudden diversion of the flight made it impossible to execute those plans.

In light of the ordeal, there are reports that the players, frustrated and exhausted, have considered pulling out of the match.

The NFF is reportedly working on plans to bring the team back home if the situation does not improve.

https://x.com/boniface_jrn/status/1845699756925849828?s=46