August 15 – Egypt’s sports minister Doctor Ashraf Sobhy has announced that fans will be allowed back into stadia to watch league matches on a regular basis for the first time since 2012.
Egypt boasts a huge number of football fans, who this summer supported their national team on its return to the World Cup finals for the first time in 28 years, but back home supporters have been banned from watching local league matches since February 2012 when at least 74 Al Ahly fans died during a game with Al Masry in Port Said.
Since 2012 limited numbers of fans have been able to watch certain matches, mainly international matches and continental club games. The ban has now been overturned, pending final approval by the Egyptian ministry of the interior, but initially only a maximum of 5,000 fans will be allowed into stadia.
In 2012, Al Masry defeated Al Ahly, a giant of the domestic game, 3-1 and fans stormed the pitch, attacking Al Ahly fans using knives, stones and bottles among several other weapons. The deaths were caused by stab wounds, brain haemorrhages and concussion, according to the Egyptian health minister.
However, the role of the security forces and local police in the massacre was never clarified and critics believe the violence was linked to Egypt’s political situation. In 2015, an Egyptian court sentenced eleven men to death for their role in what has become known as the Port Said disaster.
In 2015 local authorities envisaged a gradual return to normalcy in the local league, but 22 Zamalek fans died in a stampede at one of the very first games and the ban was re-imposed.
Last week the Egyptian league kicked off behind closed doors, but the minister of sport has since met with officials of the Egypt Football Association and club representatives to discuss conditions around allowing ans back into the stadiums. Those plans still need to seal of approval from the ministry of the interior.
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