The Tunisian pilot who flew the Super Eagles of Nigeria to Libya has spoken out about the controversy surrounding the flight diversion.[โฆ]CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL ARTICLEโถ
In a now-viral video, the pilot said the original plan was to land in Benina, a town in the Benghazi area of Libya, with prior approval from the Libyan Civil Aviation Authority.
He said, however, upon beginning their descent, he was instructed to divert to Al-Abraq, which was not listed as an alternate airport.
The Tunisian man said he was told the order for flight diversion came from โLibyaโs highest authoritiesโ.
He said he repeatedly questioned the flight diversion order due to the limitation of aviation fuel but was โignored by Libyan aviation authoritiesโ.
โThe flight plan was to land in Benghazi, Benina, and we had approval from the Libyan Civil Aviation Authority,โ the pilot said.
โHowever, as we began our descent, we were instructed to divert to Al-Abraq, which wasnโt even listed as our alternate airport.
โThis decision came from the highest authorities, not me. In aviation, we calculate fuel based on our destination. Diverting unexpectedly can compromise safety.
โEverything is documented. I asked to land in Benghazi as per my flight plan, but they denied it, instructing me to divert immediately.
โI repeatedly questioned the directive and warned them about fuel limitations, but they insisted that we land in Al-Abraq, citing orders from the highest authority.โ
The Super Eaglesโ flight landed at the Al Abaq airport for the second leg of their 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifying match against Libya.
The match was scheduled for Tuesday at the Martyrs of February Stadium in Benina, Benghazi.
However, the Super Eagles players and coaches were held at the Al Abaq airport for over 20 hours without food and drinks.
On Monday morning, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) announced the Super Eaglesโ withdrawal from the qualifying match and asked them to return home. The Nigerian team then arrived in Kano from Libya.
Reacting to the situation, the Libyan Football Federation (LFF) said the flight diversion experienced by the Nigerian national team was not โintentionalโ.
The LFF rejected claims of โfoul play or sabotageโ and argued that their team faced a similar situation in Nigeria.
Also reacting, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) said it is investigating the โdisturbingโ incidentโฆCLICK HERE TO READ MORE ARTICLES>>
