In the aftermath Nigeria’s 1-1 draw with Egypt in the 2017 Africa cup of Nations qualifier played at the Ahmadu Bello Stadium, Kaduna on Friday, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) has threatened to sanction the NFF for allowing too many spectators into the ground.
The 25,000 capacity ABS witnessed an estimated 40,000 crowd for the crunch encounter as the Kaduna state government declared free entry.
“Nigeria will most likely be penalised by CAF for poor crowd control even though there was no major incident before, during or after the match,” a leading football official disclosed on condition of anonymity.
“Sanctions for such a shortcoming would be a fine and a warning,” he further stated.
Another official said the police did a poor job of stopping entry to the stadium even when it was clear that the capacity was overstretched.
Many spectators watched saw the game from inside the seating perimeter, with some on the floodlights and scoreboards.
A similar event in Abidjan seven years ago caused 19 deaths before a 2010 World Cup qualifier between hosts Ivory Coast and Malawi, with investigators blaming ticketless fans for the stampede leading to a fine of $47,000 on the Ivorian FA.
Credit: Vanguard
