The General Secretary of the Nigeria Football Federation, Dr Mohammed Sanusi, says the Falconets were not stranded in the European nation but only missed their flight from Istanbul, Turkey to Nigeria.
This followed photo reports of team members captured while sleeping on bare floor and chairs.
It was reported that the Falconets, who left Costa Rica, venue of the 2022 U-20 Women’s World Cup, on Monday after crashing out of the competition, were stranded in Istanbul.
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Meanwhile, in a chat with The PUNCH, Sanusi described the reports as mischievous and misleading, saying the girls missed their connecting flight.
“The Falconets were not stranded in Turkey; to say the girls were stranded is a mischievous statement. It’s the fault of the airline.
By the time they arrived in Istanbul, the connecting Turkish Airline flight that was supposed to convey them from Turkey to Abuja had left and the Falconets had to wait for the next flight.”
Sanusi added the Falconets had finally boarded a flight to Abuja.
The team had won all their group stage matches in Costa Rica but lost to The Netherlands 2-0 in the quarter-finals to exit the tournament.
