The South Sudan national team, also known as the Bright Star, has found itself in a precarious situation in Libya, in a similar experience to the Nigerian national team, the Super Eagles, in 2024.
The South Sudanese team got stranded at the Benina International Airport in Benghazi, Libya in a bad condition, for hours without access to food or water.
The team’s passports were seized by the Libyan Migration Authority, and they were left to wait for hours without any representatives from the Libyan Football Association showing up for clearance.
“A footage of Bright Star stranded for staggering three hours at Benina International Airport, Benghazi Libya. The passports of the delegation were sized by the Libyan Migration authority,” a statement sighted reads.
This incident bears a striking resemblance to the ordeal faced by the Nigerian national team in 2024.
The Super Eagles were also left stranded in Libya, denied access to food and the internet, ahead of their Africa Cup of Nations qualifier before deciding to boycott the game.
The team’s Director of Communications, Ademola Olajire, narrated the harrowing experience, revealing that the team was forced to land at a different airport due to “higher authorities’” instructions.
“It took diplomatic efforts and social media callouts for the team to be cleared to finally leave Libya,” Olajire had said.
Lybia was later fined over Fifty Thousand Dollars for the ‘Hostage situation’ of the Super Eagles of Nigeria.
