Enyimba, Rangers game abandoned after late penalty call spurs fans’ pitch invasion

• Going into the feisty Oriental Derby, Rangers lead the league standings with 60 points and Enyimba trailing them by two points

The highly anticipated Nigerian Professional Football League (NPFL) match between Rangers International and Enyimba FC on Sunday ended in a debacle.

The week 35 match, which was touted by many as the title deciding game, was abandoned in added time following a controversial penalty.

Going into the feisty Oriental Derby, Rangers lead the league standings with 60 points and Enyimba trailing them by two points.

Fans had stormed the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium en masse for the fiercely contested encounter which lived up to its hype until the unpalatable scenes at the end.

Following a thrilling 90 minutes that left spectators on the edge of their seats, and with the game tied goalless and likely to end in a draw, Rangers were awarded a penalty seven minutes into added time after its attacker was fouled while trying to get on the end of a loose ball in the box, prompting protest from Enyimba players who confronted the referee.

In viral video on social media, Enyimba players were seen relentlessly heckling the referee and even pushing and shoving him.

JUST IN:
Trouble at Enugu as referee awards a late penalty to Rangers, prompting Enyimba players to stage a walkout and Enyimba fans to invade the pitch and disrupt the match. pic.twitter.com/4O6Y6NmnlZ

— Nigeria Stories (@NigeriaStories) June 9, 2024

However, the incident took another dimension when fans invaded the pitch, prompting Enyimba players to walk off it.

It remains unclear which fans stormed the pitch, but efforts to restart play wasn’t fruitful as the match was abandoned.

The NPFL has yet to comment on the incident — as of the time of this report.

This is not the first time Enyimba will be involved in such a controversial situation.

The country’s most successful club also had their week 24 match against Doma United abandoned following a controversial winning goal for the Aba-based side.

Enyimba were fined N7 million and their stadium closed for three home matches