Tweeters reacted to the crisis that the Nigerian national team was exposed to after its arrival in Libya to play a return match with the Libyan national team in the African Cup of Nations qualifiers, and its captain announced his withdrawal from the match.
Nigeria defeated Libya in the first leg that took place on its soil, which put it at the top of its group with 7 points.
Nigeria was scheduled to meet Libya in the city of Benghazi, but after the Nigerian team stayed for more than 16 hours at Al-Abraq International Airport, which is about 250 kilometers away from their original destination, the Nigerian players announced that they would not play the match.
Nigerian national team captain William Troost-Ekong tweeted angrily: “They closed the airport doors and left us without food, drink or communications… They are playing mind games against us, so we decided not to play and asked our government to intervene to return the team to Nigeria.”
On the other hand, the Libyan Football Association responded by saying, “The diversion of their flight was not intentional, and that such disruptions could occur due to routine air traffic protocols, security controls, or other logistical challenges.”
Al-Ittihad added, “These events are not equivalent to a small part of what the Libyan national team was exposed to in the first leg.”
Mixed opinions
The Networks program (10/15/2024) monitored some of the comments of tweeters on social networking sites, including what Adel Al-Fayd wrote, “We are ranked last in the group, and we do not have a federation president, our league is in a position, our football is close to each other, and our fans have nothing to lose.”
Meanwhile, Ihab Al-Masry wrote: “Replying evil with evil is not true. People who are happy with the situation are supported by the Libyan Union. I would like to tell you that you will not differentiate anything from the Nigerians, their methods, and their ideas.”
An account bearing the name Gallo tweeted: “One of the highest goals of football is to bring people together, break down differences, and overcome all types of racism…but what we see is the opposite.”
But Najat Al-Misrati had a different opinion, as she wrote: “An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, and the one who appears to be more unjust… This issue does not only restore the respect of the players, but also restores the prestige of the state and urges the countries to respect each other… This is a message to impose respect and consideration for all Arab countries.”
As for Saeed, he said: “The matches that will be held in Libya or Nigeria must be transferred to another country for a period of 3 years, and this applies to every country in which such an irresponsible event occurs.”
What happened with the Nigerian players in Libya had a forerunner in Nigeria when the Libyan national team was their guest, which was revealed by the captain of the Libyan national team, Faisal Al-Badri, saying that “the team was subjected to a comprehensive inspection inside the plane that took an hour, in addition to a delay in transportation between cities that lasted 3 hours, despite Use a private plane.
He added, “We were informed that there was no police patrol to secure the mission. We took unpaved paths in complete darkness. The trip took 5 hours in risky conditions. We arrived at the hotel late at night, with the accommodation conditions deteriorating.”
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) intervened and communicated with the Libyan and Nigerian authorities, and referred the Nigerian complaint to the Disciplinary Committee for investigation, which will take appropriate measures against any violation of CAF regulations and laws.
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