Football: Nigerian football league's future in question due to brutal fan violence
by Devesh Jaganath | by Devesh Jaganath
Increased fan violence threatens Nigerian football future
The Nigerian Premier Football League (NPFL) have made giant strides forward to improve the quality of infrastructure, officiating, and the overall level of competition in recent years in an attempt to put Nigerian football on the continental and global maps.
The 2024-25 campaign was one of the most successful ever for Nigerian football, as the league produced a thrilling title race and saw Remo Stars claim their first-ever title, confirming our NPFL prediction for the season.
However, a concerning trend now threatens to negate all the progress made, and it does not stem from on-field issues, but rather in the stands, where a growing number of violent incidents among fans have cast a dark shadow over the future of football leagues in the country.
This comes following a horrific incident earlier this month, when shortly after a match between Plateau United and Nasarawa United, Vincent Temitope sustained a blow to the back of his neck, which caused bleeding and required medical attention.
Nasarawa United denied that Temitope was stabbed by a knife or a dangerous weapon and suggested that eyewitnesses had seen him in a scuffle with a supporter, who scratched him with his fingernails. Still, this has warranted concern around player safety. A spokesperson for the NPFL said in a media interview after the incident:
"Desperation for victory, desperation for points, particularly for teams that want to finish amongst the top three, or teams that want to avoid a drop, is usually at the foundation of crowd violence. Fan violence at stadiums also festers because some clubs tacitly support the perpetrators.”
This is not the only incident that has warranted attention, though, as a week earlier, players of Ikorodu City had to be ushered from the ground by military services after holding their hosts, Shooting Stars, to a 1-1 draw in Ibadan.
Lower divisions plagued by disruptive crowds
Similar incidents have also been reported in lower divisions, such as the Nigeria National League (NNL) and Nationwide League One (NLO), with several games being disrupted by crowd disturbance, pitch invasions and even attacks on match officials.
In a recent fixture between Godswill Akpabio FC and Rovers FC in Uyo, fans stormed the pitch and assaulted match officials, which led to the match being halted for 15 minutes to allow armed forces to clear the field and regain control of the situation.
At the Danbatta Townsip Stadium, Barau FC supporters were caught hurling objects at the visiting team’s technical area, causing injuries to players and officials, which resulted in Barau FC being fined ₦2 million plus ₦150,000 in medical expenses, as well as the banning of home supporters for the foreseeable future.
A match between Green Beret FC and Standard FC descended into chaos earlier this season, with fans from both teams engaging in an all-out brawl, while Sky Limit FC were expelled from the 2025 NLO season after their players and officials chased a referee off the pitch.
Chairman of the FCT Football Association, Mohammed Mouktar, has urged clubs and fans to put an end to such issues and has called for reforms in matchday security and disciplinary enforcement, while also reaching out to the association for greater financial support to increase security measures at all levels of football in Nigeria.
