Over 70 killed and hundreds injured as football fans clash

Fans rushed onto the pitch at a stadium in Port Said after the home team won an unexpected victory over Egypt’s top club, setting off clashes and a stampede that also left 248 injured.

It was the worst incident of football violence in Egypt and the deadliest worldwide since 1996.

The melee broke out when supporters of home team Al-Masry hurled sticks and stones as they chased players and fans from Cairo-based rival team Al-Ahly.

State TV footage showed Al-Ahly players trying to get off the pitch as fights broke out among the hundreds of fans swarming onto the field. Some men had to rescue a manager from the losing team as he was being beaten. Black-clothed police officers stood by, appearing overwhelmed.

A match in Cairo was called off as reports of the violence spread, with Egyptian TV showing parts of the Cairo stadium set alight.

Egypt’s state prosecutor ordered an immediate investigation into the violence, and the Egypt Football Association ordered an indefinite suspension of the annual championship. Parliament is to convene an emergency session.

A medic in the Port Said morgue said some of the dead were security officers. Hesham Sheiha, a health ministry official, told state TV most of the deaths were caused by concussion, deep cuts and suffocation from the stampede.

It was the deadliest incident of soccer violence since 1996, when at least 78 people died and 180 others were injured in a stampede at a stadium in Guatemala City before a World Cup qualifying match between Guatemala and Costa Rica.

One witness said people threw stones, sticks and bottles. He said the atmosphere was already tense before the game.

Activists quickly organised rallies outside the headquarters of the Interior Ministry in Cairo to protest the inability of the police to stop the bloodshed.

One man told state TV he heard gunshots in the stadium, while a lawmaker from Egypt’s powerful Muslim Brotherhood said the police didn’t prevent fans carrying knives from entering the stadium.

TV footage showed Al-Ahly players rushing from the pitch as fights broke out. Some men had to rescue a manager from the losing team as he was being beaten as police officers stood by.

Al-Ahly goalkeeper Sharif Ikrami, who was injured in the fighting, said the dead and wounded were being carried into the dressing room.

“There were people dying in front of us,” he said. “It’s over. We’ve all made a decision that we won’t play soccer any more. How will we play soccer after 70 people died? We can’t think about it.”

Mohammed Abu Trika, a player with Al-Ahly, criticised police for standing by and not intervening in the violence.

“People here are dying and no one is doing a thing. It’s like a war,” he told the team TV station. “Is life this cheap?”

Health ministry official Hesham Sheiha later said 40 people were in a serious condition.

FIFA President Sepp Blatter said he was “shocked and saddened” by the deaths.

“This is a black day for football. Such a catastrophic situation is unimaginable and should not happen,” he said in a statement.

The clashes and ensuing stampede did not appear to be directly linked to the political turmoil in Egypt, but the violence raised fresh concerns about the ability of the state police to manage crowds. Most of the hundreds of police with helmets and shields stood in lines and did nothing.

Security officials said the government had issued directives for its personnel not to “engage” with civilians after recent clashes between police and protesters in November left more than 40 people dead.

The violence also underscored the role of football fans in Egypt’s recent protest movement.