The captain of the Nigerian football team, William Troost-Ekong, stated that his national team will not play its match in Libya in the African Cup of Nations qualifiers tomorrow, Tuesday, and the delegation is on its way back to the country in protest against the team's prolonged stay at an abandoned airport for several hours far from the match venue.

Nigeria was set to meet Libya in the city of Benghazi, where they could secure qualification for the finals to be held in Morocco at the end of next year.

However, after staying for more than 16 hours at an airport located about 250 kilometers from their original destination, the Nigerian players stated that they would not participate in the match.

Troost-Ekong stated via his account on the "X" platform, "As captain of the national team, I decided, along with my teammates, not to play this match. It seems our plane is being refueled now, and we will return to Nigeria shortly."

The Nigerian Football Federation stated that a private plane was transporting the team to Benghazi, but its route was diverted to Al Abraq International Airport without providing alternative transportation.

The Libyan Football Federation announced that the incident was not intentional and urged Nigeria to understand the situation.

They added, "We greatly respect our Nigerian counterparts and want to assure them that the rerouting of their flight was not intended. Disruptions can occur due to routine air traffic protocols or security checks or other logistical challenges."

"We strongly reject any claims suggesting that there was anything dishonest or sabotage in this situation. We hope this misunderstanding will be resolved with goodwill and understanding."

Nigerian forward Victor Boniface, a player for Bayer Leverkusen, complained about staying at the airport for more than 13 hours without food, Wi-Fi service, or a place to sleep. He said on his account on the "X" platform, "You can do better, Africa."

The fate of the match points remains unclear, as it is likely that the matter will be referred to the disciplinary committee of the Confederation of African Football (CAF).

Nigeria defeated Libya (1 - 0) in the first leg in Owerri last Friday, thanks to a late goal from Fisayo Dele-Bashiru, raising their tally to seven points from three matches in Group D.

Benin has six points in second place, while Rwanda is in third place with two points, one point ahead of Libya, which is in last place.

The top two teams from each group qualify for the finals, which will include 24 teams.