8th March, 2012
Angry fans attacked Heartland after hosts Kano Pillars forced them to a 1-1 draw yesterday in a rescheduled Nigeria Premier League, NPL tie.
MTNFootball.com gathered that hell was let loose at the end of the match as the fans invaded the pitch and pounced on the match officials and players of the visiting team.
Narrating their ordeal, Heartland’s media officer, Cajetan Nwokpara, said their players and a coach were injured and it took the efforts of a combined team of policemen and soldiers to rescue the team and lead them out of the city.
“We saw hell in Kano. Immediately after the match, Kano fans entered the pitch to attack us and the referee. They injured Osas Okoro and Abdul Haruna, who have their jerseys soaked with blood. One of our coaches, Bob, was hit with a stone on his chest, those are the ones I can see now,” said a badly shaken Nkwopara.
“In fact, police had to shoot into the air before they could rescue the referee from the angry fans.
“It took the efforts of police and the military to rescue us and lead us out of Kano.”
However, Kano Pillars spokesman Idris Malikawa said that he was not aware of any crowd trouble.
“I’m not aware of any trouble at the game because I ensured that everyone left the arena before I left for my office. We will now have to depend on the report of the match commissioner,” Malikawa maintained.
Pillars were seeking their sixth straight home win but Heartland had their own plans and went ahead after half an hour through new signing Obinna Orji.