)
The football world has been outraged by the ill treatment of Nigeria players in Libya but the incident has revived memories of the poor reception Harambee Stars were subjected to by Nigerians in 2013.
The football world has been left in shock following photos of Nigeria national team players stranded for hours at an airport in Libya.
The Super Eagles were due to face Libya in a 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier on Tuesday but the match will not take place after Nigeria returned home following the poor treatment they received.
Nigeria were due to land in Benghazi on Sunday but their plane was diverted to Al Abraq, some 230km from their destination, with a Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) official telling the BBC that they were “completely abandoned” and then locked inside the airport building after making arrangements to leave.
The incident has sparked outrage from football fans across the world and while more continue to react to it, it has rekindled memories of the poor Harambee Stars were subjected to in Nigeria 11 years ago.
Kenya travelled to Nigeria for a 2014 World Cup qualifier in March 2013 and were to play the hosts in Calabar. However, the squad received a rude welcome that left Kenyans furious.
Harambee Stars arrived in Lagos at midday on Wednesday for the Friday clash with a view to connecting to Calabar for the crucial match. They had been promised a chartered flight that would ferry them to Calabar but when they arrived, the plane had reportedly left.
They were met by a bus driver who did not know where to take them until he communicated with Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) officials in Abuja. That is when the Kenyan delegation was booked in what was termed a ‘substandard hotel’ in downturn Lagos, next to a nightclub.
A training venue was also not provided as the person who was to take them to training switched off his phone. This compelled then coach Adel Amrouche to take his players for some light training at a nearby primary school that had no pitch, running on a dusty surface, in between classrooms to shake off the jetlag.
)
14:35 - 15.10.2024
Libyan FA threatens legal action against Nigeria for AFCON match boycott
The LFF had said on Monday that the incident was not deliberate and urged Nigeria to be understanding.
“We are taking the matter with FIFA. This is a way to frustrate us. The conditions set by FIFA are very clear that visiting teams should be accommodated at a five-star hotel and must be accorded training facilities but Nigeria ignored all this,” Hussein Terry, an FKF official then, who was the head of the Kenyan delegation, told Nation.
Terry then revealed that the players were served cold food which had so much pepper that they declined to eat, opting for snacks instead.
“This is unfair, we expected better from Nigeria. We are lodging a formal complaint,” added Terry.
Harambee Stars would get a plane to ferry them to Calabar, some 800km from Lagos, the following day where they trained before the match.
Then captains Dennis Oliech and Victor Wanyama had vowed to use the bad experience as motivation against the Super Eagles and that is exactly what happened.
Kenya nearly pulled off a major upset when Francis Kahata curled in a beautiful freekick in the 36th minute but Nigeria would equalise later for a 1-1 draw, a gallant performance for Amrouche’s men.
The incident saw Kenyans go to an online war with Nigeria with Hashtags #SomeoneTellNigeria while the west Africans responded with #SomeoneTellKenya, the two sets of fans engaging in a bitter exchange.
One man who left Nigeria with lasting memories is former Gor Mahia defender David Owino, who earned the nickname Calabar, for his impressive performance and the name has stuck since.
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)