On Saturday, at the newly renovated Port Loko field, the Sierra Leone FA Cup final was marred by unruly fan behaviour, leading to chaos and the match being abandoned.
The Bo Rangers, the defending champions and East End Lions were set to compete in this year’s FA Cup tournament. However, even before the game could commence, fans from both sides started fighting. Law enforcement officials had to intervene by using tear gas to restore order.
The violence began while the FA President, Thomas Brima, was delivering his pre-match speech. Stones were thrown from one side of the stadium to the other. It was unclear who started it, but the police had to intervene to quell the violence. Fortunately, the FA President was unharmed.
Despite fans’ disturbance, the FA Cup final was allowed to proceed until it was halted midway through the second half due to a stone that hit East End Lions player Abdul Nymekye, causing injury. The score was 0-0 at the time. But before the incident, the referee disallowed Bo Rangers’ goal for offside, accumulating more fans’ dissatisfaction.
The Sierra Leone Football Association asks for calm and patience as they await match officials’ reports ahead of the pending Investigation.
The National Sports Authority has condemned all forms of violence in sports and urges authorities to investigate the violent incident during the final.
‘Sports should unite people, not incite violence. The game should be won on the pitch, not through violent means. Therefore, the SLFA should find a neutral venue to conclude this year’s FA Cup.’
@SLFA_sl's FA Cup final is in disarray as fans are on the rampage.
— Alie Bittar (@bittar32) May 4, 2024
Fans clashed during the FA Cup final, forcing the match to be halted due to police intervention with tear gas.#SierraLeone #FSLMedia #FSLNews #FACUPFINAL #PORTLOKO pic.twitter.com/Ko26KegXwm
