Audio By Carbonatix
Angry fans of Sierra Leone's national football team have attacked a player's house after he missed a decisive penalty.
Captain Umaru Bangura failed to convert a stoppage-time spot kick in front of a huge crowd on Sunday.
It meant Sierra Leone failed to get through to the next stage of the 2022 World Cup qualifiers.
Liberia qualified, winning the tie 3-2 on aggregate. After the game fans pelted Bangura's home with stones.
The windows and doors of his residence in the capital, Freetown, were left badly damaged. A song has even been released mocking his penalty miss.
"[It was] one of the worst days of my life," Bangura told the BBC on Monday while holed-up in his bedroom. "I can't even go outside because I didn't expect this kind of hostility towards me.
"I did my job by stepping up as the captain to take the spot kick," he added. "I am really disappointed. But at the same time I wish to say sorry [and] beg for their forgiveness."
Had Bangura scored, Sierra Leone would have levelled the two-legged tie 3-3 and gone through to the next stage on away goals.
Image copyrightRED CROSS SIERRA LEONE
Image captionFans also threw stones at Red Cross ambulances after the match
Red Cross staff also came under attack outside the stadium after they were accused of whisking Bangura away from fans, the BBC's Umaru Fofana says.
Four Red Cross volunteers were injured in the unrest. People also threw stones at their marked ambulances, which were later pictured with smashed windows.
"I was really disappointed with the Sierra Leoneans," the country's sports minister, Ibrahim Nyelenkeh, told the BBC.
"Some disgruntled hoodlums went to [Bangura's] house and pelted stones at it," he said. "It is not good for the game. He is our captain [and] football is a game of chance."
Mr Nyelenkeh added: "[Hooliganism] is becoming unprecedented. I think measures should be put in place to combat it."
Image copyrightRED CROSS SIERRA LEONE
Image captionFans also threw stones at Red Cross ambulances after the match
Red Cross staff also came under attack outside the stadium after they were accused of whisking Bangura away from fans, the BBC's Umaru Fofana says.
Four Red Cross volunteers were injured in the unrest. People also threw stones at their marked ambulances, which were later pictured with smashed windows.
"I was really disappointed with the Sierra Leoneans," the country's sports minister, Ibrahim Nyelenkeh, told the BBC.
"Some disgruntled hoodlums went to [Bangura's] house and pelted stones at it," he said. "It is not good for the game. He is our captain [and] football is a game of chance."
Mr Nyelenkeh added: "[Hooliganism] is becoming unprecedented. I think measures should be put in place to combat it."DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.
DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.
Latest Stories
-
NSMQ 2026: Yaa Asantewaa Girls’ going ‘beck’ to Tanoso after Bishop Herman deals them early exit
3 minutes -
Data Protection Commission acquires two vehicles to strengthen data protection enforcement
14 minutes -
NSMQ 2026: Holy Child School storms back from two-year NSMQ absence to book One-Eighth ticket
2 hours -
GNFS dismisses reports of unpaid 2025 rent allowance
3 hours -
Gordon Asare-Bediako steps down from NPP Communications Director race, backs Dennis Aboagye
3 hours -
GES dismisses requirement for newly promoted teachers to submit documents for salary adjustments
3 hours -
Meko Bono 2026: Vice President pledges agricultural revival as Atebubu hosts grand homecoming
4 hours -
Russian skydiver Sergey Boytcov sets world record with 11,551-metre stratosphere jump
4 hours -
Ablakwa-led committee submits five reports to Mahama ahead of 2027 AU chairmanship
4 hours -
Africa not seeking Western cash in reparations campaign – Ablakwa
5 hours -
Production decline, reserve depletion threaten Ghana’s upstream sector – Jinapor
5 hours -
Surveyors caution against treating compensation disputes as professional misconduct
5 hours -
Mahama calls for AU dialogue on migration after South Africa xenophobic tensions
5 hours -
I haven’t experienced any envy in the gospel music industry — Ohemaa Mercy
6 hours -
Prayer does not solve everything — Ohemaa Mercy
6 hours