Football official dies at Nigeria vs Ghana after ugly scenes as fans storm pitch

A football official died following the Nigeria vs Ghana World Cup qualifier on Tuesday where fans stormed the pitch in manic scenes.

Nigeria suffered a huge upset on home turf as they drew 1-1 on the night. The away goals rule meant bitter rivals Ghana qualified ahead of them for the Qatar World Cup later this year, which sparked outrageous scenes as Nigerian fans invaded the pitch and rioted.

And along with police being called in to end the frenzy, the day was dampened by the death of a CAF/FIFA medical officer. Dr Joseph Kabungo had been on duty as a doping officer for the match his untimely death.

The Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) has since called Dr Kabungo one of “the game’s leading lights on the continent and beyond”. FAZ president Andrew Kamanga was one of the first to offer his condolences in a statement.

It read: “Today we mourn the passing of our CAF/FIFA medical officer Dr Joseph Kabungo who was on duty as a Doping officer in Tuesday’s match involving Nigeria and Ghana, and we extend our sincere condolences to Dr Kabungo’s family and the football family at large.

"We take note that it is too early to dwell into the nitty-gritty of the cause of his death but will wait for the full report from CAF and FIFA on what exactly transpired.”

Kamanga added: “He was a dedicated and widely loved member of our football community and his impact was vast, having also been part of the 2012 Africa Cup winning team. His death is a huge loss as Dr Kabungo was a friend and confidant to many generations of players and their families.”

The match itself descended into chaos after Thomas Partey’s away goal meant Nigeria were knocked in front of their own fans. Supporters took missing out on the competition for the first time in 16 years terribly as they took to the field and rioted.

Tear gas was deployed on the pitch as enraged fans destroyed the dugout as well as other parts of the Abiola National Stadium in Abuja. Police soon intervened while projectiles were launched onto the pitch and Ghana fans were reportedly attacked.

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