How Ghana's 1973 World Cup qualifier win sparked chaos in Lagos

Former Black Stars captain Malik Jabir has recounted the tense and chaotic scenes that followed Ghana’s dramatic 3-2 victory over Nigeria in a 1974 FIFA World Cup qualifier in Lagos.

Jabir, who captained Ghana in the memorable encounter on February 12, 1973, revealed that angry Nigerian supporters burned a Ghana supporters’ bus and trapped the Black Stars team inside the stadium for hours after the match.

Back in 2022, the 77-year-old former midfielder speaking in an interview said the tension began before the game, following comments he made upon the team’s arrival in Nigeria.

According to Jabir, Nigerian fans were confident of victory after defeating a weakened Ghana side in an earlier fixture when several key Black Stars players, including himself and John Eshun, were away in Brazil representing an African select team.

After returning from Brazil, Jabir rejoined the national team and was appointed captain for the crucial qualifier in Lagos.

He recalled telling journalists at the airport that Ghana would emerge victorious in any match against Nigeria, a comment that quickly gained attention among Nigerian supporters.

“When we got to the airport, we were met by more than 40 journalists asking questions and I told them that as for a game between Ghana and Nigeria, everybody knows the result and Ghana will always win,” Jabir recalled.

He said the remarks earned him the nickname “Captain wey dey yap” among Nigerian fans and heightened tensions ahead of the match.

Jabir explained that when the team bus arrived at the stadium, some supporters blocked the entrance and demanded that he be handed over before security officials intervened and escorted the team inside.

He added that the Nigerian captain also confronted him over the comments before the match.

England football legend splits from Ghanaian wife Chantelle Tagoe

“I can't repeat what I said, but not knowing when they went out, they announced it and all their officials and fans were infuriated. But true to my word, they were beaten,” he said.

Ghana went on to win the encounter 3-2, with Jabir providing the cross that Kwasi Owusu converted for the winning goal.

However, the victory was followed by turmoil as angry supporters surrounded the stadium and prevented the Ghanaian team from returning to the dressing room.

“They decided to beat us. It was terrible. To get from the pitch into the dressing room, we couldn't. It took us the whole day because each time we tried to get close, they threw bottles at us. We had to seek shelter in the middle of the pitch,” Jabir recalled.

He said the situation was eventually brought under control after Nigeria’s President ordered an armoured vehicle to evacuate the players in batches to their hotel.

The following day, Ghana’s then Head of State, General Ignatius Kutu Acheampong, arranged a plane to bring the team safely back to Accra.

Jabir also disclosed that Ghanaian supporters were attacked during the incident, with their bus set ablaze by angry fans following Nigeria’s defeat.

Reflecting on the incident years later, the former Black Stars captain described football-related violence as unfortunate and blamed security failures for allowing such disturbances to occur.

He called for improved crowd management to prevent similar incidents from affecting African football.

PAH/MA

Godson Glawu defies the odds, becomes engineer after escaping child trafficking