The Nigerian Senate has condemned the mistreatment of the Super Eagles, Nigeria’s senior male football team, by Libyan authorities, demanding an apology.
This call comes after the team’s ordeal in Libya, where they were stranded for over 12 hours without assistance from the Libyan Football Federation.
The incident occurred when the Super Eagles arrived in Libya for their fourth Group D match against the Libyan team.
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Instead of landing in Benghazi, the Nigerian aircraft was diverted to Al Abraq, a city over two hours away.
The team was left without transportation, prompting them to threaten a boycott of the 2025 AFCON qualifier.
Senator Sulaiman Abdulrahman Kawu Sumaila, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Sports, on Tuesday, denounced the treatment as un sporting.
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Deputy Senate President, Barau I. Jibrin echoed this sentiment, stating, “The essence of sports is to promote unity and competition and enhance brotherhood among countries. The way our players were treated is terrible and condemnable.”
Jibrin urged the Libyan government to apologize, emphasizing the need to avoid a diplomatic row.
“Fortunately, you (Kawu) have come through a personal explanation, and this is what we intended it to do because we don’t want a diplomatic row. So, we call on the ambassador and whoever is concerned and the authorities to come out and apologise for what they have done to our national team,” he said.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio also demanded a thorough investigation by the Confederation of African Football’s Disciplinary Committee and appropriate sanctions.
“We demand a thorough investigation… and appropriate sanctions against those involved.”
The Libyan authorities must investigate, hold those responsible accountable and prevent future occurrences,” Akpabio said.
