DUSHANBE, February 2, 2012, Asia-Plus – International media sources report that Egypt”s ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces has announced three days of national mourning after at least 74 people died in clashes between rival football fans in the city of Port Said. Hundreds more were injured as fans invaded the pitch after a match between top-tier clubs al-Masry and al-Ahly.
Emergency meetings of the cabinet and parliament have been called.
Protest marches are planned for today against the police”s inability to contain the violence. Reuters reports that hundreds of protesters gathered outside the state television building and marches across the capital were planned.
According to the BBC, hundreds gathered at Cairo”s main railway station to receive the injured arriving from Port Said, with some chanting slogans against military rule.
It is the biggest disaster in the country”s football history, said the Egyptian deputy health minister. “This is unfortunate and deeply saddening,” Hesham Sheiha told state television.
The Associated Press news agency reports that according to health officials some of the dead were security officers.
It appears some fans had taken knives into the stadium and the lack of the usual level of security in the stadium might have contributed to the clashes.
The BBC says police in Egypt have been keeping a much lower profile since last year”s popular protests that ousted President Hosni Mubarak from power.
Egyptian fans are notoriously violent, says the BBC correspondent, particularly supporters of al-Ahly known as the Ultras. They have been heavily implicated in confronting the police during recent political protests. There is speculation that the security forces may have had an interest in taking on al-Ahly supporters.
Wednesday”s violence broke out at the end of the match, which, unusually, Port Said club al-Masry won 3-1. Witnesses said the atmosphere had been tense throughout the match – since an al-Ahly fan raised a banner insulting supporters of the home team. As the match ended, their fans flooded onto the pitch attacking al-Ahly players and fans.
A small group of riot police tried to protect the players, but were overwhelmed. Part of the stadium was set on fire.
FIFA President Sepp Blatter issued a statement, expressing his shock over the incident. “This is a black day for football. Such a catastrophic situation is unimaginable and should not happen,” he said.
