The ABH League commenced five weeks ago and has seen several football clubs clash all in a bid to clinch the top position at the ABH League table. Despite the intense fight put on by each team, the players have managed to keep the spirit of sportsmanship and shun violence until, Saturday, September 7, 2024. This track record of peaceful matches was broken when a fight erupted between the two competing teams currently topping the table.
The match fixtures slated for this day also marked the end of the first half of the season. The opening match was between Gladiators FC and Titans FC and ended with the former team winning by two goals to nil. Mounting the pitch next was Shegzy FC who are top on the table against their fellow contender, Oshin FC, who are second on the table.
From the start of the match, it was apparent that neither team would be going easy on each other. As the game progressed, each team remained relentless. Within ten minutes of starting the game, Shegzy FC landed a goal throwing Oshin FC into a frenzy to equalize as quickly as possible.
There were several instances of rough tackles and shoves coming from both teams, but mainly from Oshin FC. Twenty minutes into the game, Yemi of Oshin FC was issued a yellow card for rough play. But this was not enough to tame the brewing tension. The atmosphere gradually got tenser as both teams kept pressing against each other. But nothing prepared players and onlookers alike for what happened next.
Just before the end of the first half, Yemi of Oshin FC deliberately head-butted a player from Shegzy FC, with a force that knocked the player over to the ground, throwing the pitch into a transient state of pandemonium. It was evident that the act was not an accident but a deliberate attempt to harm the player. For this, the offending player from Oshin FC was immediately issued a red card. But this was not the end of it.
By half-time, players from both teams were involved in a heated exchange of words on the pitch. Supporters from both teams were also involved in fierce arguments erupting from several corners of the quadrangle. An upset supporter of Shegzy FC became disruptive and kept shouting in anger; it took the persistent efforts of several onlookers to pacify the individual. The pandemonium persisted for more than ten minutes, prolonging the half-time break. Amid the chaos, the Defence Minister, Jimoh Irfan, tried quelling the tension growing on the pitch ensuring the game could continue. The referee, Dr. Seinde, also played a major role in preventing the escalation of the situation, as he controlled it with calmness.
By the second half, both teams were back on the pitch. The assaulted player was now on the bench as he had been substituted for another player while the assaulter was kept off the pitch, albeit for some time. However, the rough play continued unabated, with two players from Shegzy FC getting yellow cards for rough play before the match ended. When the final whistle was blown, Shegzy FC emerged as winners of the fierce match after a goal scored by Oshin FC few minutes to full time was cancelled, leaving the scores at 1-0.
Due to the turn of events that occurred during this match, the ABH Football Association issued a release sanctioning both the perpetrator and management of Oshin FC. For Shegzy FC, its fans were cautioned against inciting violence during matches.
A match that started with what seemed to be a determination to win but degenerated into aggression towards each other remains a far cry from true sportsmanship in the game of football or any other sport.
The ABH League is known for the intensity of emotions that accompany its matches and has in the past, recorded instances of violence. It is hoped that as the second half of the season unfolds, players will adhere to the rules and regulations of the game and embrace the good spirit of sportsmanship.
