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Egyptian football riot leaves 74 dead

Comment: 0 February 2nd, 2012 by: admin

Seventy-four people were killed and over a thousand injured when a match between Egypt’s football rivals led to what is being described as the worst public riot in the country’s football history.

The incident, which occurred Wednesday in the city of Port Said, began when the final whistle signalled an 3-1 upset victory of the home team al-Masry over Egypt’s top team al-Ahly from Cairo.

As the match ended, al-Masry supporters wielding knives, stones and other weapons then rushed to the field and attacked visiting al-Ahly fans and players.  They also proceeded to hurl bottles, flares and fireworks, causing widespread panic throughout the area.

Some supporters cornered and attacked rival fans and players, while others went on to destroy the fixtures up on the stands.

The travelling fans, estimated at about 1,200 were hopelessly outstripped by the 13,000 home fans in the stadium.

Witnesses reportedly said that most of the deaths in the bloody scene were due to trampling of a panicked crowd, as well as falling or being thrown from the terraces.  A massive number of fatalities also resulted from concussions and head injuries.

The players dashed back into the tunnel after police protection failed against the angry crowd.  Reports suggest riot police had to rescue the al-Ahly manager who was being beaten by an angry group of rioters.

“This is unfortunate and deeply saddening,” said the country’s deputy head minister Hesham Sheiha.  “It is the biggest disaster in Egypt’s soccer history.”

Al-Ahly star player Mohamed Abo Treika recalled the incident, indicating the obvious lack of security and assistance.

“This is not football anymore.  This is war.  People are dying in front of us,” he said in an interview.  “There is no movement and no security and no ambulances…this is a horrible situation and one that can never be forgotten.”

Treika’s teammate Sayed Hamdi described the scene as “an atmosphere of terrorism.”

Team goalkeeper , Sharif Ikrami also revealed that the riot would signal the end of their participation in the sport.

“There were people dying in front of us,” said Ikrami, who sustained injures from the chaos.  “It’s over.  We’ve all made a decision that we won’t play soccer anymore.  How will we play soccer after people died?  We can’t think about it.”

Kamel Abu Ali, president of al-Masry, reportedly resigned from his post.

“The police has to come back strongly and we must let them do their job,” he said.  “When a thug is being punished, we shouldn’t defend him.”

He also suggested that the entire event was premeditated, and was meant to bring down the state.

Politicians receiving word about the incident blamed the lax security, and pointed at the country’s leaders as the ones at fault, even the ones who conspired to start the riot.

Egypt’s top military officer, Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, addressed the public in an interview after the riot, and promised that the military would put those responsible for the chaos into custody.

His statements came as Egyptians called for his execution and blamed the military rule as the cause of the incident.

“We will get through this stage.  Egypt will be stable,” he promised.  “We have a road map to transfer power to elected civilians.  If anyone is plotting instability in Egypt, they will not succeed.  Everyone will get what they deserve.”

Many are describing the incident as the biggest scene of mass lawlessness since the ouster of then-ruler Hosni Mubarak.

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