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The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has opened an investigation into the Super Eagles ordeal in Libya and has threatened to sanction those found violating its statutes and regulations.
“The matter has been referred to the CAF Disciplinary Board for investigation and appropriate action will be taken against those who violated the CAF Statutes and Regulations,” CAF said in a statement on Monday.
Nigerian officials and players arrived in Libya on Sunday but were stranded at the Al Abraq International Airport for over 13 hours. They slept at the facility and were denied access to food and the internet.
Photos of the team sleeping on the floor and on benches made headlines, raising fears about their safety.
CAF said it was concerned over the development and has reached out to both Libyan and Nigerian authorities.
“The Confederation Africaine de Football (CAF) has been in contact with the Libyan and Nigerian authorities after it had been informed that the Nigerian National Football Team (‘Super Eagles’) and their technical team were stranded in disturbing conditions for several hours at an airport that they were allegedly instructed to land by the Libyan authorities,” the football governing body said.
‘Hostage Situation’
Nigerian authorities had earlier raised alarm over the situation and said they were boycotting the game billed for Tuesday.
The Minister of Sport Development John Enoh said he was worried about the safety of the players and officials.
“The Team have succinctly stated that they have been unattended to for upwards of about 15 hrs since arrival, with no food, no accommodation, left in a mosquito-infested environment and cordoned off by Libyan security not to step out of the airport and they have access to nothing,” he said.
“To say the least, they face an almost ‘hostage’ situation. These are sportsmen set to compete in an AFCON qualifying match come Tuesday! For now, our primary concern is the safety of the members of our national team.”
However, the Libya Football Federation (LFF) said the delay was not intentional and refuted claims of sabotage.
“There are no grounds to accuse the Libyan security teams or the Libyan Football Federation of deliberately orchestrating this incident. Such actions are inconsistent with our values and principles,” the LFF said, attributing the delay to logistical issues and other challenges.
“We hope that this misunderstanding can be resolved with understanding and goodwill,” it said. “Our doors are open to our Nigerian brothers and all African teams, and we continue to promote the spirit of unity, sportsmanship, and friendship in the world of football.”
The Super Eagles were later cleared to leave Libya after the delay.
