A much anticipated international friendly match that pit African rivals Senegal against Cote d’Ivoire on Monday had to be abandoned after fans invaded the pitch and confronted the players.
With the scores level at 1-1 in the 88th minute, a group of spectators that were outside the ground scaled the perimeter fence and entered the stadium, igniting the chaos.
The game was played at the Charlety Stadium on the outskirts of the French capital, Paris.
Stewards struggled to regain control of the stadium after the invaders stormed the pitch, with one fan appearing to tackle Senegal’s Lamine Gassama.
After a barren first half, Liverpool forward Sadio Mane gave the Lions of Teranga the lead in the 68th minute, but barely three minutes later, Bi Gohi Cyriac leveled the scores for The Elephants.
This is the second time in five years that a game between the two countries has been called off because of crowd disturbances.
Senegal were disqualified from the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations when a riot caused their playoff with Ivory Coast in Oct. 2012 to be abandoned after missiles, stones, bottles and firecrackers were thrown onto the pitch in Dakar.
That match was abandoned after 78 minutes with Ivory Coast leading 2-0 thanks to a double from Didier Drogba, whose penalty sparked the violence involving large numbers of Senegal fans.
