Troost-Ekong Criticizes Libyan Officials for Neglect

Super Eagles captain William Troost-Ekong has criticized Libyan officials for their awful handling of the Super Eagles, who were neglected for more than 12 hours at Al Abaq Airport on Sunday.

The senior football men’s squad, which was supposed to land in Benghazi for its 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier, was transferred to Al Abaq and kept without explanation.

In a series of tweets early Monday morning, Troost-Ekong described the situation as “disgraceful,” accusing the Libyan authorities of playing “mind games.”

According to him, the team is being held in an abandoned airfield with no food, water, or phone connections.

“We spent more than 12 hours in an abandoned airport in Libya when our plane was diverted while descending. The Libyan government denied our permission to land in Benghazi for no apparent reason. They’ve sealed the airport gates, leaving us without a phone, food, or water. All to play mental games.
I’ve had problems previously while playing overseas in Africa, but this is unacceptable behavior,” he stated.

He also lamented the problems faced by the Tunisian pilot, who accomplished the sudden change of destination but was later denied accommodation for his crew by government directives.

While the captain could relax at the airport, the Nigerian crew members were not permitted to stay, forcing them to sleep on the plane.

“Even the Tunisian pilot, who thankfully managed to navigate the last-minute change to an airport not fit for our plane to land, had never seen anything like this before,” he reported.

“Upon arriving, he attempted to find a nearby hotel to relax with his crew but was denied at every hotel, once again on government orders. He may sleep there, but no Nigerian crewmembers were permitted.

“They have now returned to sleep on the plane, which is parked,” Troost-Ekong said.

“We will not play this game,” he said, pushing the Nigerian government to intercede and rescue the stranded squad.

“We respect ourselves and our opponents when they visit Nigeria. Mistakes do occur, but these intentional actions have nothing to do with international football.”