74 killed in Egyptian football match riot
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E-mail China.org.cn, February 2, 2012
At least 74 people were killed and hundreds of others injured in a football match riot in Egypt's Port Said, state media reported on Wednesday night.
![A soccer fan flees from a fire at Cairo stadium Feb, 1, 2012. Crowds set parts of the stadium on fire in reaction to a soccer pitch invasion during another soccer match held at the Egyptian city of Port Said. [Agencies]](http://images.china.cn/attachement/jpg/site1007/20120202/000cf1bdd03f109422c205.jpg "A soccer fan flees from a fire at Cairo stadium Feb, 1, 2012. Crowds set parts of the stadium on fire in reaction to a soccer pitch invasion during another soccer match held at the Egyptian city of Port Said. [Agencies]") |
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A soccer fan flees from a fire at Cairo stadium Feb, 1, 2012. Crowds set parts of the stadium on fire in reaction to a soccer pitch invasion during another soccer match held at the Egyptian city of Port Said. [Agencies] |
Due to insufficient security, most of the fans rushed to the stadium holding sticks and rival soccer fans started fighting each other.
Two Ahly players are reportedly slightly injured in the clash.
According to Nile TV reports, the riot was caused by some insulting posters carried by the Ahly fans. One of the posters read "Port Said is like rubbish and it has no men."
The riot expanded to the streets outside the stadium, forcing the nearby shops to close down.
Chief of Egypt's ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, Hussein Tantawi, ordered two military helicopters to transfer the players, fans and the injured to Cairo.
Some people stood in the middle of the stadium in solidarity with the dead in Port Said.
Moemn Zakaria, a Masry player expressed his sorrow, saying " what happened ruined our happiness, we played a good match and the fans enjoyed the fair competition."
"Where are the values and the principles the Egyptian people?" questioned the player. "If this is the case with the matches, it's better to stay away from football."
Egyptian Prosecutor General Abdel Maguid Mahmoud ordered an investigation into the riot. And the parliament will hold an emergency session Thursday over the incident.
A match between Zamalik and Ismaily, held in Cairo International Stadium, was cancelled over sefety concerns after the first half finished on Wednesday evening.
A big fire erupted in the Cairo stadium when the fans started to set ablaze the flags and posters in a protest against the cancellation.
"This is deeply saddening. It is the biggest disaster in Egypt's soccer history," Deputy Health Minister Hesham Sheiha told the state television.
Port Said Governor Ahmed Abdullah said that maximum state of alert was declared in all civil and military hospitals, the official MENA news agency reported.
"There should be an urgent investigation and severe punishments for those proved to be involved in the clashes," said Al Azhar Mufti Aly Goma, warning against violence or incitement.
President of the Egyptian Football Association (EFA) Samir Zahar announced the postponement of the Egyptian premier league until further notice.
He said the EFA will hold a meeting with the Sport National Council to form a fact finding committee on the incident.
Other teams, el-Gona and Etihad Saqandary, decided to boycott the Egyptian football in a protest against the bloody clashes.
"We decided to suspend our participation till the riots that overwhelmed our fields disappear," the head of Saqandary board of directors told MENA.
Essam Eryan, a member of Muslim brotherhood and head of the parliamentary foreign relations committee, accused Mubarak remnants of stirring such an incident.
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