The 2023/2024 Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) Match Day 19 fixture involving hosts Shooting Stars Sports Club (3SC) of Ibadan and Enyimba International ended in chaos on Sunday.
While the match ended 2-1 in favour of the visiting Aba side, the after-match situation was very chaotic as the fans of the home side went berserk.
This led to match officials, club officials and other spectators to hurriedly leave the venue, while some post-match activities could not hold.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that some of the fans went looking for the match officials.
They claimed the officials robbed their darling team of at least a draw, saying he refused to award a goal in the fourth minute of second half added time.
This situation had come about some seconds before substitute Izuogu Chibueze went on to score Enyimba’s second goal.
The match officials had to be hurried out of the stadium in an ambulance as the fans broke the doors into their dressing room.
They were in search of the centre referee and second assistant referee in particular, claiming the former had been involved in six away matches played by Enyimba.
Another group of fans were in search of the 3SC management officials, with a specific search for Babatunde Olaniyan, the club chairman.
One of the fans said Olaniyan should be blamed for not ensuring the club got “a fair deal” in match officials’ appointments.
The confused situation even led to the 3SC technical crew shunning the post-match news conference, where their Technical Adviser, Gbenga Ogunbote, had always been ever present.
But, in spite of no explanation coming from the club’s Media Officer, Tosin Omojola, it was learnt the home team were equally afraid of being attacked by their fans.
”No one is safe at this moment. We will rather stay in our dressing room until everything calmed down,” a club official who asked for anonymity told NAN on telephone.
NAN reports further that the fans had to finally vent their spleen on stadium facilities, breaking several doors and windows in the dressing rooms and the mixed zone area.
During the match, Chijioke Mbaoma had given Enyimba the lead in the 57th minute from a penalty kick.
Kareem Ademola drew the home side level in the 82nd minute, while Chibueze scored the winning goal in the fifth minute of second half’s five added minutes.(NAN)