Five Premier League players, including Alex Iwobi and Calvin Bassey, endured midair chaos after Nigeria’s latest 2026 World Cup qualifier as a cracked windscreen forced their plane to make an emergency landing. The journey, originally scheduled to be quick, was completed nearly 12 hours later.
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FLIGHT EMERGENCY FOR SUPER EAGLES
The Nigeria squad, returning home after a 2-1 victory over Lesotho in Polokwane, South Africa, faced unexpected delays on a chartered ValueJet Airline flight. After damage to the plane’s windscreen, an unscheduled stop in Luanda, Angola, was required before a replacement aircraft could complete the trip.
GOVERNMENT INTERVENTION AND REPLACEMENT FLIGHT
The Nigeria Football Federation confirmed that government officials, including the president’s chief of staff and ministers of Foreign Affairs and Aviation, helped secure another aircraft. The replacement plane finally landed in Uyo at 8:05 am on Sunday, ending nearly 12 hours of disruption.
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PREMIER LEAGUE STARS AFFECTED
Among the players affected were Iwobi, Bassey, Samuel Chukwueze, Frank Onyeka, and Tolu Arokodare. Other notable Super Eagles in the squad include Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman. Nigeria currently sit third in their World Cup qualifying group, trailing Benin and South Africa.
FLIGHT ISSUES NOT UNIQUE TO NIGERIA
The Nigeria team are not the first to face air travel chaos this international break. Newcastle’s Bruno Guimaraes and Joelinton also had to return to Amsterdam due to a broken aircraft window while heading to South Korea for Brazil friendlies. Guimaraes still played 79 minutes in a 5-0 win, while Joelinton remained unused, highlighting the intense travel demands on international players.