By Abiola Olawale
Fulham manager, Marco Silva, who is the coach of two Nigerian players, Alex Iwobi and Calvin Bassey, has hit out at Libyan authorities for the treatment of Super Eagles players during the international break in October.
Speaking ahead of Fulham’s football match against Aston Villa on Saturday, Silva said both Iwobi and Bassey arrived back at the club devastated.
He said what Iwobi and Bassey went through in Libya was unacceptable and improper.
He said: “It’s another example of mixed feelings and balance because when the players go to their national teams to play for their countries, to be proud of that moment, we all expect, firstly, that they come in healthy to play the next match for us.
“Secondly that they can perform at a good level, to help them, and to keep their fitness, their momentum as well.
“And for sure, it was not a moment that Calvin, Alex and their teammates enjoyed for sure [at Libya]. It’s not something professional, it’s not something normal.
“It’s not something that should be involved in football, to be honest.
“They are back again with us. The first two days were tough for them to recover from everything but they are going to be ready [for the Aston Villa clash] for sure.”
The New Diplomat reports that the situation happened when Iwobi, Bassey and their Super Eagles teammates travelled to Libya for a 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, AFCON, qualifier match that was due to be held in Benghazi last Tuesday.
However, the players’ flight was diverted to a smaller airport in Al Abraq and they were held hostage for 18 hours without food, water and internet.
