ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Nigeria’s soccer players said on Monday they will boycott their Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match in Libya, after being stranded overnight at Al Abraq Airport in what the team captain described as “mind games.”Authorities in Libya, however, denied it was sabotage. The first leg, which Nigeria won 1-0 on Friday, involved similar accusations of sabotage from the Libya team. Team captain William Troost-Ekong said the plane had been due to land at Benghazi Airport but was diverted at the last minute to Al Abraq some 220 kilometers (136 miles) away. The Libyan team accused its opponent of maltreatment ahead of the first leg, an allegation the Nigerian Football Federation denied. Nigeria’s sports minister John Owan Enoh said he had instructed the soccer federation to send a formal complaint to the continent’s soccer body.

Source: Libya Today October 14, 2024 13:39 UTC