Due to a contentious penalty, Sunday’s Nigerian Professional Football League (NPFL) game between Rangers International and Enyimba FC was suspended.
The Rangers led the league standings with 60 points, while Enyimba was two points behind them. The Oriental Derby, held at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium, was a title-deciding match.
Supporters turned out in large numbers for the hotly contested match, which lived up to the hype until the unsettling moments at the conclusion.
After an intense 90 minutes that ended in a goalless draw, Rangers was given a penalty seven minutes into extra time for a foul that stopped its attacker from seizing a loose ball in the box. The Enyimba players protested, approaching the referee.
Fans’ invasion of the pitch, however, gave the event a new dimension and forced Enyimba players to leave the pitch.
The fans who invaded the pitch remain unknown, but attempts to restart play were unsuccessful, and the game was called off.
As of the time of this publication, the NPFL had not responded to inquiries about the occurrence.
Enyimba FC, the most successful club in the nation, had been involved in contentious situations like this in the past.
The club had their Week 24 encounter against Doma United postponed due to a contentious goal that gave the Aba-based team the advantage. Enyimba’s stadium was closed for three of their home games, and they were fined N7 million.
