FIFA fines Nigeria, 48 others for violence during WCup qualifiers

World football governing body, FIFA yesterday fined and warned 49 countries including Nigeria for various misconduct during the recently concluded World Cup qualifiers.

Nigeria was slammed with a fine of CHF150,000 (N63.9m) following vandalisation and fans encroachment that occurred at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja on March 29, after the country’s failure to qualify for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

FIFA also ordered the country to play their next international match against Sierra Leone behind closed doors while giving room for appeal.

FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee, in their summary jurisdiction over incidents that occurred during the World Cup qualifiers, delivered the sanctions in a letter updated on

April 28.

According to FIFA, Nigeria’s fines were a result of failure to implement “Order and security at matches (failure to implement existing safety rules and failure to ensure that law and order are maintained in the stadium, invasion of the field of play and throwing of objects).”

The violence, according to FIFA, breached Article 16 of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee.

FIFA also has fined Senegal’s football federation a whopping $180,000 following trouble witnessed in the side’s clash against Egypt during the World Cup qualifiers.

Egypt captain Mohamed Salah missed a clear goal-scoring opportunity from the penalty spot after his vision was blurred by a vivid green light shot at his eye by a fan in the stands.