FIFA has sanctioned the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) over the stampede at the Moshood Abiola Stadium in Abuja after Nigeria’s failure to qualify for the Qatar 2022 World Cup.
The sanction was announced by the global soccer governing body on Monday.
It said Nigeria was found guilty of not “implementing existing safety rules and failure to ensure that law and order are maintained in the stadium, invasion of the field of play and throwing of objects.
FIFA also handed Nigeria a fine of CHF 150,000 and a one-match behind closed doors.
In March, some angry fans invaded that pitch and vandalised some of the stadium’s facilities after the Super Eagles lost the 2022 World Cup ticket to Ghana.
Mr Joseph Kabungo, the Zambian who was the Confederation of African Football (CAF) doping control officer for the match, was said to have lost his life during the chaos.
However, the NFF later clarify that the CAF official died from cardiac arrest which it said had nothing to do with the violence that ensued after the match.
Mr Sunday Dare, minister of sports and youth development, also announced the constitution of two separate committees to investigate the incident — with the panels’ findings yet to be made public.
