The President of Nigeria Football Federation, Alhaji Ibrahim Musa Gusau on Tuesday expressed the deep appreciation of the NFF and the Nigeria Football family for the warm words of encouragement from the President and Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR following the Super Eagles’ return from a better-forgotten Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match adventure in Libya.

On Monday, Mr. President put out a statement warmly welcoming the team back to home, and asking for prompt justice from the Confederation of African Football following the inhumane treatment of the Nigerian contingent. Mr. President also commended the proactive coordination between the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Federal Ministry of Sports Development in addressing the unfortunate episode and ensuring the safe return of the players.

“We hereby express our deep and sincerest appreciation to His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his warm and kind words of encouragement. These words have gone a long way to reassure the players of the firm support of the Government and people of Nigeria for what they do and the efforts and sacrifice they make in representing this great country.

“The commitment and love for the team by the Government and the entire nation was aptly demonstrated by the physical presence of the Honourable Minister of Sports Development, Senator John Owan Enoh at the airport to welcome the team back to Nigeria.

“Mr. President as the father of the nation, has once again demonstrated his concern and keen interest in the beautiful game of football that unites our peoples from all walks of life and across all known mental, physical, spiritual, political and economic boundaries, and which fosters national unity and friendship among peoples and nations of the universe.”

Gusau, who led the delegation to Libya, also commended the captain and crew of the ValueJet aircraft that flew the delegation to and from that country, saying that their patience, diligence, good manners, warmth and endurance made the trip less arduous for the contingent.

“The captain (Mr. Abdul-Latif) and crew were awesome. I must commend, in particular, the captain. He did his job professionally and with a touch of excellence, and even intervened at a point to talk to the airport operatives to allow the NFF leadership to go outside the airport to find a way to hire vehicles for the team. As a fellow North African (Tunisian) who had worked in Libya previously, they were ready to offer him hotel accommodation but not any other member of the crew or any Nigerian, as all the hotels in the city disclosed that they had strict orders not to welcome any Nigerian nationality. He refused their offer and rather opted to sleep in the aircraft with the rest of the crew.

“The captain and crew showed great maturity and kindness. We will never forget them.”

Nigeria have boycotted their Africa Cup of Nations qualifier with Libya and flown home after being stranded overnight in an airport in the country.

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has been in contact with both countries following the “disturbing conditions” that Nigerian players were allegedly subjected to at Al Abraq Airport in Libya.

CAF’s disciplinary board has launched an investigation and say “appropriate action will be taken against those who violated the CAF Statutes and Regulations”.

The Nigeria squad left Libya on Monday afternoon after being stranded in an airport there for 20 hours.

The Nigeria squad flew to Al Abraq Airport in Libya on Sunday, landing just before 8pm after the pilot had been told he could not land in the initial destination of Benghazi.

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) say they arrived at Al Abraq to find no officials from the Libyan Football Federation (LFF) and no word on where their buses were to take them to their hotel.

“Hour after hour, and with mounting frustration, delegation members, particularly the players, grew restless,” said the NFF’s director of communications Dr Ademola Olajire.

“There was no food or water provided by the LFF, or where to even procure these items, and there was no network or internet connection at the airport. These swiftly increased the level of frustration and anger.”

The NFF put out a statement on Monday titled “20 Points of a 20-hour ordeal on Libyan soil”, which detailed the circumstances they endured overnight on Sunday.

The squad eventually flew home at around 3pm on Monday and arrived back in Nigeria that evening.

-The Standard

After a year on the sidelines, one of the Saudi Pro League superstar players could finally be back on the pitch. Brazilian international, Neymar, who has been out injured since sustaining a torn ACL and meniscus in his left knee while on international duty has returned to training with Al-Hilal.

Neymar resumed official training with Al-Hilal in late September after a lengthy rehabilitation process in his native Brazil. In his few weeks back in Saudi Arabia, Neymar – who cost Al-Hilal €90 million from French champions, PSG, in 2023 – has reportedly shown remarkable progress, and personnel associated with the club believe he could return in time for the Asian Champions League on October 21.

The four-time AFC Champions League winners have a rich history in this competition and clearly see the return of Neymar a key component on challenging for their first title since the 2021 season.

Before stepping on to the pitch, he will first need the approval of Brazil team doctor Rodrigo Lasmar, who carried out the surgery, however the final say on his return to action will lay with his coach, Jorge Jesus.

With Al Hilal, unbeaten in domestic play with a 100% record, and with striker Aleksandar Mitrovic scoring goals for fun, Jesus, will not be taking any chances with the second highest paid player in the league, after Al-Nassr’s, Cristiano Ronaldo.

Neymar had only played five matches for Al-Hilal before the injury. He is currently in year two of his $100 million a season deal and while the club seemingly has an unlimited resources, they’ll be keen to see any kind of return on their massive investment.