Many Killed As Football Fans Clashed In Egypt

EGYPT FOOTBALL DISASTER

A Football Fan Jubilating

    Not Fewer than 74 poeple were killed and alot more injured when violent erupted after a football match in the Egyptian city of Port. It is reported as one of the deadliest attack ever witnessed in the history of football in that country. The riot is said to have begun immediately the refree blew the final whistle which saw home team Al-Masri beat the famous and much favored Cairo's Al-Ahly 3 - 1.

In what was started like as a jubilation for the Al-Masri fans later turned out to be a free for all fight as the jubilant Al-Masri fans ran into the field throwing rocks, bottless and fireworks at the Cairo's Al-Ahly fans, which resulted in chaos and panic. This later turned out to be a serious clash. Photos of bleeding players circulated on the internet.

Match Turned Violent

Gunfire was also reported on the main road leading to Port Said from Cairo, and troops were deployed to prevent further clashes.
"The death toll has now reached 74, including one policeman, in the unrest after the match between Al-Ahly and Al-Masri," the health ministry said in a statement.
"Most of the people were killed in the crush," Interior Minister Mohammed Ibrahim added, while medics said some of the deaths were the result of stab wounds.
State television said around 1000 people were injured in the violence, but the interior ministry put the number at 248.
The clashes in the northern city - blamed by the Muslim Brotherhood on supporters of fallen president Hosni Mubarak - came as the country struggles with a wave of incidents linked to poor security.
Shops in Port Said, which sits at the entrance to the Suez Canal, shut their doors as private cars helped to shuttle the injured across the city to hospitals
Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, head of the ruling military council, ordered helicopters sent to Port Said to ferry injured team members and fans of the visiting side to military hospital.

In Cairo, fans congregated outside Al-Ahly's ground in the Zamalek neighbourhood, some in tears as they waited to hear news of family and friends who had attended the match. They were joined by fans of their arch-rivals Zamalek, who came along to offer support. Chants rang out against the ministry of interior and the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces.
Soon after the violence, a match in the Cairo stadium between Al-Ismailiya and Zamalek was called off in mourning for the dead. State TV showed video of this stadium on fire. The announcer said angry fans of Zamalek had protested at the cancellation, and set light to parts of the stadium.