Less than two months after the Abuja Stadium fans invasion following Super Eagles’ failure to qualify for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, the country has been asked to pay a fine of $150,000 about (N63million).
Eagles who prior to the two legged World Cup play-off against Black Stars of Ghana had been tipped to qualify especially after a playing a goalless draw in the first leg in Kumasi, failed to rise to the occasion as the visitors pushed the game to a 1-1 draw in front of full capacity stadium at the MKO Abiola Stadium to grab the sole ticket.
Mayhem at Abuja stadium following eagles flop
The result forced ugly reaction from the fans who destroyed everything in sight as many scampered to safety.
The World soccer ruling body’s disciplinary committee had investigated the matter and decried poor organisation and lack of security among other failures and approved the said fine even as it ordered that the forthcoming Nigeria vs Sierra Leone game be played behind closed doors after CAF approved the venue for 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Sierra Leone.
The world football ruling body in a statement on its official website detailed the reason for these sanctions as “order and security at matches (failure to implement existing safety rules and failure to ensure that law and order are maintained in the stadium, invasion of the field of play and throwing of objects)”.
Ghana who qualified for the World Cup at the expense of Nigeria, have since been drawn in Group H against Portugal, Uruguay, and the Korea Republic.
