‘Na football we come play, no be war,’ Enyimba FC jabs after fans disrupt match
Enyimba FC has taken to social media to address the disruption in their recent match against Ranger International FC
“Na football we come play, no be war” (It’s football we came to play, not war), the football club posted on X after the disruption that led to the match suspension.
What had happened
The NPFL Week 35 match between Rangers International FC of Enugu and Enyimba FC of Aba ended in chaos on Sunday at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium, as Enyimba fans disrupted the game in the final minutes.
The incident occurred after Rangers were awarded a penalty just before the end of the match, prompting Enyimba players to refuse to continue the game.
The first half ended without any goals, despite Rangers’ relentless efforts to score, thwarted by Enyimba’s solid defense. Rangers missed several scoring opportunities.
Tensions escalated late in the game when a Rangers attacker was fouled in the penalty area, leading to the contentious penalty decision. Enyimba’s players and management protested vehemently, withdrawing their players from the field and confronting the linesman who had indicated the foul to the referee.
Enyimba fans, anticipating a loss, turned violent, throwing objects onto the pitch and eventually invading it. They also assaulted the linesman involved in the penalty decision.
NPFL officials will determine whether to award Rangers the three points, potentially making them league leaders with 64 points, or to reschedule the remaining minutes of the match.
The game drew a record crowd at the stadium.
