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The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has said a broken windshield of the chartered ValueJet Airline plane carrying the Super Eagles delegation from Polokwane in South Africa to Uyo, for Tuesday’s FIFA World Cup qualifier against Benin Republic, delayed the arrival of players and officials in the Akwa Ibom state capital.
The NFF communications department made this known in a statement on Saturday evening.
Part of the statement reads: “The same plane had transported some members of the delegation to Polokwane on Thursday evening, arriving in the South African city on Friday morning.
“However, after a routine refueling stop in Luanda, Angola (where the aircraft also stopped to refuel on Thursday evening, and where the same aircraft had stopped to refuel to and from Bloemfontein in South Africa for the matchday eight match between the Super Eagles and Bafana Bafana last month), the aircraft suffered a broken windshield in mid-air after take-off, and the pilot did well to bring the plane safely back to Luanda airport.
“ValueJet Airline and the relevant authorities of the Federal Government of Nigeria, including the Honorable Minister of Aviation, the Honorable Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Chief of Staff to the President, are working assiduously to obtain the necessary overflight and landing permits for another aircraft to fly from Lagos, pick up the delegation in Luanda and fly them to Uyo.”
Nigeria’s World Cup hopes have been renewed after the Super Eagles beat Lesotho on Friday.
