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Sparta Rotterdam have condemned the attack on Super Eagles goalkeeper Maduka Okoye who was physically assaulted by fans of Vitesse during a Dutch Eredivisie match on Friday.
Megasportsarena.com reports that Okoye produced a man of the match performance after saving a penalty and stopping nine goal bound shots.
He was struck by a bottle thrown onto the pitch by the opposition fans midway into the second half, prompting the centre referee to call off the match with Sparta leading 1-0.
A Vitesse fan sneaked onto the pitch, went straight to Okoye, who stood his ground to scare the young man. Although the fan was whisked away, but, while Okoye retracted to his goal-line position, he was also hit by a bottle on his face.
Sparta’s statement on their official website.
“Sparta Rotterdam is disappointed with the premature end of the match between Vitesse and the Kasteelclub,” read part of the statement on their official website: “A number of incidents piled up in stoppage time, as a result of which referee Rob Dieperink stopped the match.
“After a supporter first came onto the field towards the goalkeeper of Sparta, then the goalkeeper was hit by an object from the audience and then a fireworks bomb exploded right next to the goal, during which a cameraman was also unable to continue his work, the players of both teams directed inward.
“In the first consultation, the Vitesse security organization indicated they found the situation safe enough from the side of the Vitesse supporters. Sparta indicated that we saw no problems with the Spartan fans in the guest section.
“The players, staff members, and the management of Sparta were of the opinion that safety could not be guaranteed, given the succession of incidents. As a result, the focus of our players was no longer fully focused on football and safety and that is the first priority for the entire club.”
Meanwhile, the Royal Dutch Football Federation (KNVB) has launched an official investigation into the events.
“The match between Vitesse and Sparta has been stopped at a 0-1 score tonight [March 4, 2022] due to disturbances from the [home] public. This was done after consultation of the referee with both clubs,” read part of their statement.
“The incident will now be investigated by the disciplinary committee. The investigation will focus on the question of guilt for the incident. The professional football board will then have to decide what to do with the remainder of the match.”
Okoye is among the three goalkeepers summoned by coach Augustine Eguavoen ahead of Nigeria’s 2022 WorldCup qualifying fixture against Ghana.
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