Down to Pittodrie, I went to see a home game for Aberdeen FC. It was against Rangers of Glasgow and the locals say there is a rivalry between the two teams.

Rangers ran away 3-0 winners to the disappointment of the home side. All three goals came from counter attacks in the second half as Aberdeen went searching for a winner after having so much possession in the first half.

At 1-0, the fans were stunned. Minutes later it was 2-0, some could not take it again. They started leaving. Before I could sip your drink, it was 3-0 and another set of thousands went for the exit. I felt for them but the visiting fans were on top gear – supporting their team by singing loudly to the heavens. Even after the final whistle, they kept together in their section and sang on for minutes. It was a joy to behold.

I have never seen so much away fans in any NPFL stadium. They were loud but they were visible separated by a wire guaze from the home fans. There were a lot of security around them and surely around the stadium to check any excesses.

Reports back home from the NPFL matches didn’t look good. Akwa United won in Kano for the first time in their history. Christian Pyagbara got the winner early in the first half. United won 1-0 over Kano Pillars but the Pillars fans went haywire. Violence erupted and there are reports of injury to team members of Akwa United and The match officials. Those that took pictures were harassed and the media wiped off their phones. It was a sad report from Kano.

In Katsina, Enyimba lost 2-1 to Katsina United despite scoring the opening game of the game. Reports have it that Ghanaian goalie Dauda assaulted a ball boy after the late winner by Katsina United. The Enyimba team bus was damaged and reports have it that some players of the Peoples Elephant sustained injuries. It is yet unsure if the former incident caused the latter. Even in Enugu, the fans seem to have had their fill of the teams poor run this season.

Security has been a concern in the NPFL and it is time we take a hard stance against violence in our football centers. we cannot continue like this and allow few persons to draw us back to such levels.

Opposites.

Advertisement