The Super Eagles have commenced their preparations for departure from the North African nation.
The players and coaching staff of Nigeria’s national football team, the Super Eagles, are set to board their chartered Valuejet flight to exit Libya.
William Troost-Ekong, the team’s assistant captain, shared this information in a post on his X account.
He indicated that the players and officials have begun the necessary arrangements for their exit from the North African country.
He stated: “The power of social media. It appears our plane is currently being fueled, and we should be departing for Nigeria shortly. Thank you for everyone’s support! 🇳🇬. I want to emphasize: We would NEVER treat a host nation for a match in this manner. Mistakes and delays can occur, but they are never intentional!”
SaharaReporters reported that the team was stranded in Libya for more than 13 hours due to disruptions in their travel plans caused by the host country’s government.
Consequently, the players, with the consent of the Nigerian Football Federation, opted to withdraw from their forthcoming African Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifying match against Libya.
William Troost-Ekong elaborated on the unwelcoming treatment the team faced at the airport, indicating that it was sanctioned by Libyan authorities. He stated, “Can I shock you?! The pilot has just informed us that there has been fuel available at this airport for the plane all this time. They could have released it but haven’t granted us permission since. Can you imagine?! So how long are they planning to hold us hostage here!!! Still just waiting.”
He further noted, “After our initial tweets, a team bus finally arrived, and a driver who had been inside the airport filming us and laughing with some of the other staff since last night mentioned that the bus was ready 12 hours after we landed. Now we have been waiting for fuel since morning…”
