The U20 Girls National Team, Falconets, players and staff were left stranded at the Istanbul Airport, according to the Nigeria Football Federation.

After being eliminated from the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup, Nigeria’s U-20 women’s team, the Falconets, are reportedly experiencing a torturous journey back to the country from Costa Rica.

The Falconets fell short in the quarter-final as they lost 2-0 to the Netherlands in a match that ended early Monday morning.

The Falconets then had to depart Costa Rica almost immediately after their elimination at about 6.30 am Monday. 

According to Colin Udoh, a former Super Eagles media officer and committee member with the Nigeria Football Federation, the Falconets had to spend more than 48 hours on a journey that should have been completed in a day and despite that, the Falconets still thousands of miles away from home. ar

Udoh revealed on Twitter on Tuesday morning how the Falconets were stranded in Turkey, at the Istanbul airport on a 24-hour layover. He showed photos of the national team players sleeping on airport benches and on the floor of the airport.