AITEO VIOLENCE: Fans Call For Sanctions Against Offenders

A cross-section of football fans on Sunday urged football authorities in the country to apply more stringent sanctions on clubs whose supporters get involved in violence at match venues.

Reacting to the violence which trailed the 2019 Aiteo Cup finals at the Ahmadu Bello Stadium in Kaduna on Sunday, the fans described the violence as one too many.

Crowd violence disrupted the final of the 2019 Aiteo Cup final after Kano Pillars had won the match against Niger Tornadoes FC of Minna.

They had won via a penalty kicks shootout which ended 4-3, after 90 minutes of play had ended goalless.

Trouble started immediately after the match ended, with Kano Pillars fans breaking the barricade to enter the pitch in an attempt to celebrate with their players.

In an attempt to prevent them from disrupting the trophies’ presentation ceremony, security men clashed with the fans.

Inappropriate crowd control measures, which included manhandling and the use of sticks by members of the local security group, saw the Kano Pillars fans fighting back.

The fans regrouped with the assistance of many of their colleagues, who could not gain entry into the stadium for the match earlier, to attack the security men.

They went on the rampage, destroying billboards, pitch panels, posters and all other objects within sight.

The use of teargas, however, put them under control, as they were chased out by the teargas and a reinforcement of the security personnel.

However, thousands of spectators who had turned out in their large numbers left the stadium in tears.

The fans who spoke with NAN expressed disappointment with what they described as a show of shame and embarrassment to the nation.

James Jamil, a Kaduna-based fan, said: “We came here to enjoy football, but the attitude of those fans at the end of the game was uncalled for. We were all teargassed for no just cause”.

On his part, Peter Andrew who came in for the match from Abuja called for severe sanctions against the erring club.

“This kind of behavior should not be tolerated by the football authorities in the country. It is very important to set up an investigative panel and appropriate sanctions placed on erring clubs,” he said.

Another football fan, Friday Matthew who is based in Jos described as poor the crowd control mechanism put in place by organisers, saying it was responsible for the sad development.

“How can you have a big event like this and the crowd control will be this poor?” he said.

Also, Kano-based Usman Auwalu described the development as a shame and national disgrace for football lovers who came from different parts of the country to watch the match.

“Proactive measures should be taken to avoid such an occurrence in the future and offenders must be punished.”