Tripoli Pandemonium: Derby Between Al-Ittihad And Al-Ahly Abandoned After Fans Storm Pitch

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Al-Ittihad led 1-0 before referee Fabio Joss Costa was left injured by a protesting substitute following the goal. Amid the commotion, fans of Al-Ahli stormed the pitch.
Pandemonium erupted in the Libyan Capital City of Tripoli on Thursday as the derby between Al-Ittihad and Al-Ahly had to be abandoned following a nasty case of fan turbulence.
Al-Ittihad got their noses in front with a goal in the 39th minute of the first period of the game between the heated rivals, before Portuguese referee Fabio Joss Costa was left injured by a protesting substitute player. Amid the commotion, fans of Al-Ahli stormed the pitch in large numbers. The ruckus got out of hand, and the players and match officials had to escape the pitch due to safety concerns.
#WATCH Libya's derby match between Al-Ahly Tripoli and Al-Ittihad was halted after Portuguese referee Fábio José Costa was injured by a substitute protesting a goal. The referee refused to resume play as fans stormed the pitch. https://t.co/PzK4AXb3CT pic.twitter.com/WCESOaTEGJ — Libya Review (@LibyaReview) June 18, 2025
However, outside the stadium, things got even more heated up as fans of Al-Ahly attacked security personnel and set the Al-Ittihad team bus and a police vehicle ablaze. It has also been reported that security had to use excessive force against fans at the club's headquarters.
Fans of Al-Ahly attributed the disturbance as a reaction to an act of provocation by one of the Al-Ittihad players in an absolutely mercurial scene in the Capital City of the African nation.
First Published:
June 19, 2025, 14:21 IST

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