Unfriendly fire as 39th game plan is hit by a riot in Nigeria during United-Pompey clash

As Scudamore tries to turn around opposition to his plan for a 39th Premier League game overseas every season, this peculiar fixture in west Africa proved to be the worst possible advert for taking the English domestic game into unknown waters. It was a poor match, but that was not the worst of it.

Stadium strife: fans throw rocks before the match

Beforehand, locals in the town of Abuja who had been priced out of a ticket by unrealistic charges broke into the stadium and hurled rocks at police. In anybody’s language, that is known as a riot.

Luckily for Scudamore, few people will actually have seen it. The game — won 2-1 by United — was watched only by subscribers to the champions’ in-house TV channel. Even MUTV’s commentators found it difficult to sound excited and understandably glossed over the crowd trouble. Pompey’s official website was more graphic.

Fiery encounter: fans made their own amusement at a dire match

‘A riot broke out an hour before-kick off when hundreds of fans hurling lumps of concrete at police broke into the stadium,’ read the report. ‘Police responded mercilessly with batons, beating back the intruders.

‘Police were led away covered in blood, while concrete used as missiles lay strewn across the stadium concourse.’

Neither United nor Portsmouth could do much about the trouble, of course. Their fans were not involved. Nevertheless, it is hard to feel sorry over such a naked money-grabbing exercise going so badly wrong.

Every pre-season venture is underpinned by money lust these days. There is nothing new in that. But this was surely a step too far.

Both teams had played 24 hours earlier — Portsmouth in the same stadium and United in South Africa — and both were forced to use some of the same players again.

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United flew in during the morning and flew out again after the game. For that they received somewhere between £1.5million and £2m.

That could pay Wes Brown’s wages for a year, so they may argue it was worthwhile. But what do the Nigerians take from it? A glimpse of some tired superstars going through the motions and a stadium that this week needs piecing back together.