Rangers-Enyimba match abandoned as fans invade pitch over late penalty call

There was pandemonium at the venue of the Oriental Derby between Enugu Rangers and Enyimba as a late penalty call in favour of Rangers led to fans invading the pitch, with the title-deciding game abandoned.

With Rangers topping the league table with 60 points and Enyimba close to the table with 58 points, the Week 35 Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) match was perfectly poised for a draw until the referee pointed to the spot late in the game, awarding Rangers a penalty.

Hell was let loose with Enyimba players protesting the decision of the centre referee, while the away fans went berserk, leading to the disruption and abandonment of the fiercely contested encounter.

Persecondnews reports that the Oriental Derby recorded the highest ever data analytics in terms of discussions on social media in the NPFL in the last four years.

Sources have calculated over 14.4 million engagements on X and over 54.4 million engagements on Facebook spread across different blogs and accounts.

Rangers 0-0 Enyimba #RANENY #NPFL24 #TheFinalStretch,” the NPFL wrote on its X platform. “Match interrupted after penalty awarded to Rangers in added time.”

As of press time, the league body has yet to make comments about the match and the next steps.

More to follow…