FIFA hammer will come down hard on Nigeria after hundreds of fans stormed the pitch of the MKO Abiola National Stadium in Abuja and destroyed properties in protest over the failure to qualify for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
The substitute benches were smashed by the fans, who called for the sack of president of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Amaju Pinnick.
“Pinnick must go! Pinnick must go!!” the mob demanded, while some criticised Eagles coach Augustine Eguavoen.
Police were forced to fire several rounds of tear gas to disperse the angry crowd.
The Super Eagles were sent packing from the World Cup on the away goals rule when Ghana recorded a 1-1 draw in Abuja after the first leg of the playoffs ended in a scoreless draw in Kumasi Friday night.
The 60,000-capacity arena was sold out for this West African derby as it was the first time since October 2011 that the country’s team last played there.
A private-public initiative spearheaded by Africa’s richest man Aliko Dangote put up a million US dollars last year to redo the pitch to get the approval of CAF in time to stage this all-important clash.
