Nigerian fans riot after World Cup qualification defeat to Ghana


Ghana became the first African nation to qualify for the 2022 World Cup, but its success was overshadowed by fan violence.

Abuja, Nigeria – Ghana held Nigeria to a 1-1 draw in the Nigerian capital on Tuesday, winning the tie on away goals to become the first African country to book a ticket to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

But angry reactions from the home fans in and around the stadium blighted the “Jollof derby”, with a pitch invasion, fighting and other disturbances taking place.

Most of the vociferous crowd in Abuja had expected Nigeria to qualify for the World Cup after the first leg of their playoff ended 0-0 in Ghana on Friday.

But goalkeeper Francis Uzoho’s error allowed Thomas Partey to open the scoring for Ghana early in the second leg. William Troost-Ekong levelled from the penalty spot, but Nigeria missed several clear chances to win the match at the Moshood Abiola Stadium.

There had been signs of trouble before the match as crushes had built up outside the 60,000-capacity stadium barely an hour before kick-off, with thousands of ticketless fans approaching different gates.

There was a surge and stampede at one of the entrances after police officers began turning fans away. A journalist who tried to capture the scene was allegedly attacked by the police.

Death at the ground

Meanwhile, a doping officer on duty at the match died from a suspected cardiac arrest after the game’s full time, contrary to rumours on social media he was beaten to death by irate fans. Attempts to resuscitate Joseph Kabungo failed, and the Zambian official was pronounced dead after arriving at a hospital in Abuja, according to the Nigeria Football Association (NFF).

An NFF statement said Kabungo was found “gasping for breath near the dressing room of the Ghanaian team” while on his way to find a Ghana player for a doping test.

“We mourn the passing of our CAF [Confederation of African Football] and FIFA medical officer Dr Joseph Kabungo and we extend our sincere condolences to Dr Kabungo’s family and the football family at large,” Football Association of Zambia President Andrew Kamanga said.

“He was a dedicated and widely loved member of our football community and his impact was vast, having also been part of the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations winning team.”

Former African footballer of the year and Zambia football legend Kalusha Bwalya wrote on Twitter that he has lost a brother and courageous man.

Source: aljazeera.com 


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