The Nigerian Premier Football League match between Rangers International of Enugu and Enyimba International Football Club of Aba ended in a fiasco. The match was played Sunday evening at Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium, Ogui, Enugu, and kicked off at 7 p.m.
The game is the 35th in the Premier League series. Both sides have just 3 more matches to end the league. Rangers are currently leading the table, and Enyimba follows a close distance, just two points behind.
As the league draws to a close, the Sunday encounter was seen as pivotal to the eventual winner of the Nigerian league this season.
A tough match, it had remained goalless till the dying minutes of the match.
The Controversial Penalty
After full time 90 minutes, the referee had given a 8 minutes stoppage time.
In the 97th minute, while the game remained goalless, seconds to the end of the epic match between the Titans, the center referee had spotted a foul inside the Eyimba 6yard box when striker Godwin Obaji for Rangers was clear on goal but was pulled down by an Eyimba defender.
Enyimba vigorously protested the penalty and insisted that a little earlier, the referee had indicated an offside against Rangers.
The referee refused to yield, explaining that he had immediately overruled the earlier offside and allowed play to continue. Enyimba refused to continue with the match and walked off the field. In the ensuing commotion, the overcrowding, exceeding the capacity of the 40,000-person stadium, poured into the pitch, bringing the game to an inconclusive end.
Still waiting for word from the Nigerian Football Association which has regulatory and disciplinary oversight over football competitions in Nigeria.
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