Team captain William Troost-Ekong says on social media that they were offered a three-hour bus ride to the venue, but that they refused for safety reasons.
“Let them get the point (for victory in the match). We do not accept riding on the roads here because it is not safe. You can imagine what hotels or what food they intend to give us if we continue,” says Troost-Ekong.
The Nigerian Football Association is now trying to find a return home option.
Chartered Airlines of Nigeria diverted as it was about to land in Benghazi, where the match would have been played, after the Libyan government did not approve the landing permit. Instead, they landed at a deserted airport where the doors are locked and there was neither food nor drink.
One of the team’s leaders, Victor Ikpeba, who took part in winning Olympic gold in Atlanta in 1996, thinks that Libya should be excluded from international football.
– It is a high-risk country and one wonders who allowed them to play the home games in the country. The team has seen their bluff and is not playing the match, he told AFP.
A formal complaint has been sent to the Confederation of African Football. Nigeria beat Libya 1-0 at home in Uyo on Friday and lead the qualifying group where Libya are last.
