CAF approval puts to an end speculations that the edifice will be barred from hosting international matches in the wake of the crowd disturbances that trailed the second leg of the 2022 World Cup qualifier against Ghana.
By Uzor Odigbo
In a letter sent to the Nigeria Football Federation(NFF) on Sunday, May 1, CAF has approved that the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja be used for the 2023 AFCON qualifier between Nigeria and Sierra Leone.
This approval puts to an end speculations that the edifice will be barred from hosting international matches in the wake of the crowd disturbances that trailed the second leg of the 2022 World Cup qualifier against Ghana.
FIFA has however ruled that the Nigeria vs Sierra Leone game will be played behind closed doors and also announced a fine of $150,000 on Nigeria for the disturbances after that World Cup qualifier.
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Recall that on March 29 after the stalemate at Abuja Stadium between the Super Eagles and the Black Stars of Ghana which gave Ghana the advantage in qualifying for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar due to the away goal rule, thousands of disappointed Nigerian fans started raining plastic bottles on the pitch, not even the Black Stars players were spared.
The angry supporters later invaded the pitch and proceeded to attack Ghanaian players and fans, destroying properties in the Stadium in the process.
The substitute benches were smashed by the fans, who demanded the immediate sack of the President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Amaju Pinnick.
“Pinnick must go! Pinnick must go!!” the mob sang, as others asked for the removal of the Eagles’ gaffer, Augustine Eguavoen too.
The Police later came in to quash the protest, firing several rounds of tear gas canisters into the air to disperse the angry protesters.
Pundits believe the action of the fans contravenes FIFA and CAF laws on violence and crowd trouble in stadiums and might attract a fine and imposition of a stadium ban on Nigeria.