After being eliminated from the Women’s World Cup in Costa Rica, the Nigerian U-20 women’s team was spotted sleeping on airport chairs and floors as they travelled back home.
At the quarter-final stage of the U20 Women’s World Cup in Costa Rica, the Falconets lost to the Netherlands in the quarterfinal on Sunday, August 20, with a 2-0 score.
They had a solid performance during the Women’s World Cup group stage, finishing first in their group with a perfect record after cruising to victories against France, South Korea, and Canada.
The Falconets left the host nation of Costa Rica on Monday and stopped in Colombia after they were eliminated, this procedure from the host nation brought them to Istanbul Airport.
The team departed the host nation extremely early, but had a 19-hour layover at the airport in Istanbul, according to a report by Nigerian soccer journalist Sarafina Napoleon to the editing staff at www.atspo.com.
On August 24, 2022, she posted an update to her Twitter account to inform Nigeria Football Association officials about the problem at Istanbul Airport, “Behold what our U-20 girls are going through after exiting the tournament. The team departed Costa Rica on Monday morning as early as 6 and are now in Istanbul having to face over a 19hour layover. They are currently sleeping at the airport. Some on the floor, some on the chairs.”
The Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) has since distanced itself from the U-20 women’s team’s subpar travel arrangements, the Federation did not handle the team’s visas, according to an answer from an NFF officer.
Demola Olajire, the NFF spokesperson said, “FIFA also did not envisage the hitches that saw the team delayed for more than three hours in Bogota, and another one hour in Panama. By the time the team got to Istanbul, the flight to Abuja had left. Our officials pleaded for compassionate transit visas to take the players and officials to a hotel inside the town, but this was not possible. They were informed that Nigeria had been removed from the list of countries whose citizens were issued visa-on-arrival in Turkey.”
