The General Secretary of the Nigeria Football Federation, Dr Mohammed Sanusi, has spoken up on the news of Falconets being stranded for 24 hours at the airport in Istanbul.

Sanusi’s claim followed reports 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, missed their flight from Turkey to Abuja and we’re not stranded in Istanbul.

They were pictured sleeping on bare floors and chairs at the Istanbul airport waiting for their flight.

Dr Sanusi told The Punch that, “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.

He added that the Falconets have now boarded a plane from Turkey to Abuja.”