Ex Libyan Star Makes Bold Claim Against Super Eagles After Airport Hostage

• The Super Eagles of Nigeria were held hostage in Libya for about 16 hours at Al Abaq International Airport
• The team were in Libya to honour the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers doubleheader second leg
• A former Mediterranean Knights star has made insinuations towards the Nigerian players after their ordeal

A former Libyan footballer has accused the Super Eagles players of using their popularity to influence the media during their hostage situation at Al Abaq International Airport.

The Nigerian players were held hostage at Al Abaq after their chartered jet, which was due to land in Benghazi, was dangerously rerouted to the remote airport.

NFF complained to CAF as the team were stranded for about 16 hours with no basic amenities, leading to the players deciding not to honour the match.

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CAF acknowledged this complaint and postponed the match with an investigation launched into the incident, with a resolution expected later.

Ex-Libyan star accuses media of bias

Former Libyan international Moatasem Al-Musrati has accused the media of bias towards the Nigerian national team because they have more popular players in Europe.

“The full truth of what happened is that this is a normal and logical result according to what had happened to the Libyan National team when they went to play the first leg match in Nigeria,” he wrote on his Facebook page.

He justified Libya's treatment of Nigeria and confirmed that it was in retaliation for the incident that happened when their team came to West Africa last week.

“These events were not mentioned by the media because the Libyan players are not famous enough while the Nigerian players were able to use their fame to show they were treated poorly, thanks to their social media,” he added.

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“Libya is a country that is known for its hospitality and welcoming people, history has shown that. No National team has ever been treated poorly when visiting our country. What happened here was a reaction to the horrible treatment that our players had to endure, nothing more!”

Nigerian football media expert Michael Adegbile spoke exclusively to Legit.ng and explained why the Super Eagles stars got more attention during their ordeal.

“Pedigree has always been present in football, and in this digital age, it plays a very important role in who gives your story a listening ear,” he said.

“The Super Eagles currently boast of top players from the EPL, Serie A, Bundesliga, Ligue 1 and other big leagues in the world, so obviously, they’ll command more attention and respect from the footballing world, especially as it concerns their security and the way Libya went about it.

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“Libya also has a history of being hostile, there’s always going to be a bias.”

Libya FF threatens legal action

Legit.ng reported that Libya FA threatened legal action against the Nigerian Football Federation after they failed to play the scheduled AFCON 2025 qualifier match.

The statement hinted that the Libyans acted in retaliation for their experience in Nigeria last week, refusing to take responsibility but blaming the Nigerian authorities.

Source: Legit.ng