MONROVIA, Montserrado – The final of the Liberia Football Association knock-out competition between Monrovia Club Breweries and one of Liberia’s oldest football clubs, Mighty Barrolle, was disrupted in the climaxing stage after angry fans invaded the pitch at the Antoinette Tubman Stadium.

Barrolle, which gained promotion to the LFA first division after finishing third in the just ended second division league, was down 1-0 before the unexpected incident.

Club Breweries took the lead in the 29^th minute after Blidi Jackson scored from an indirect kick from within the Barrolle’s six-yard box.

With just two minutes to the end of the match, a man believed to be a fan of Mighty Barrolle invaded the pitch and was followed by several frustrated Barrolle supporters that attacked the center referee, Jerry Yekeh, on counts of cheating.

As protesters invaded the pitch, Yekeh, along with reserve judge, George Rogers, and assistant referee one and two, Elisha Johnson and Joseph Hoff immediately ran to LFA’s ambulance and were escorted from the stadium.

While en route, there were stones thrown at the ambulance that led to a broken mirror at the door.

LFA Ambulance damaged by angry fans. Photo: T. Kla Wesley, Jr.

The LFA president, Musa Bility, has condemned the incident.

“It’s always unacceptable,” he said. “It is something that LFA does not take lightly. We seriously regret the incident. Football was [being played], and we must be strong to accept the result.”

The LFA boss has warned that there will be grave consequences from the association.

He said: “The rule is clear. Mighty Barrolle will be held responsible for what occurred. The behavior of their fans is not acceptable, and there will be serious consequences from the Liberia Football Association.”

Meanwhile, the president of the Liberia Referee Association, Joseph Kollie, frowned on the incident and blamed the LFA for failing to ensure proper security measures for the match.

President of the Liberia Referee Association, Joseph Kollie. Photo: T. Kla Wesley, Jr.

He said: “The LFA competition committee must be responsible for what happen. Before the match, we told the competition committee that we need strong security for the match. Based on the tension of the game, we needed security. At this point, nobody wants to be a loser. Even if the teams don’t play [well], they still want to win.”

Featured photo by T. Kla Wesley Jr.