Stampede At Egyptian Game (Soccer Futbol Forum)

Title: Stampede At Egyptian Game

Merengue - February 1, 2012 08:40 PM (GMT)

A real disaster is unfolding in Cairo as a 73 people, including some security personnel, are reported dead after a stampede at an Egyptian league match between Al Masry and Al Ahly,

Egyptian state TV has raised the death toll to 73 after fans of rival soccer teams rushed the field, hurling stones and sticks at each other and sparking a stampede.

State TV cited the Health Ministry and says 1,000 other people were injured in Wednesday’s melee.

A medical official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to release the information, says some of the dead were security officers. Egypt’s state prosecutor has ordered an immediate investigation into the causes of the deaths. Witnesses say most appeared to have occurred in a stampede after fans of the home team, Al-Masry, stormed on to the field following a rare 3-1 win against Al-Ahly, Egypt’s top team. They then chased players and fans from the rival team.

73 dead, 1,000 injured!? This is one of the worst examples of football violence in years.

Merengue - February 1, 2012 08:54 PM (GMT)

After witnessing such mayhem and tragedy, Mohamed Barakat and Mohamed Abutrika, two veteran stars of Al Ahly and Egypt's national team have announced their retirement.

I know Egypt is going through post revolutionary tumult, but where was the security?

SuperEagle - February 1, 2012 09:15 PM (GMT)

Apparently the security were just standing still and letting fans pour on to the field, check out this video.

You see the Al Ahly players (in red) making a beeline for their dressing room as fans chase them but look at the supposed police protection just standing there doing nothing?

Yogi - February 1, 2012 11:05 PM (GMT)

What depressing news. I know of the rivalry between Al Ahly and Zamalek, Egypt's two biggest clubs. I wonder if there has been a history of violence in the past between Al Ahly and Al Masry? If there was then definitely the security should have been better prepared than they were in this game.

Penya - February 1, 2012 11:27 PM (GMT)

I remember reading during the Egyptian revolution that Al Ahly supporters were key players in the demonstrations in central Cairo. I am just speculating here but I wonder if the security forces inaction was their "payback" towards Al Ahly fans role in the revolution?

ursus arctos - February 1, 2012 11:27 PM (GMT)

Horrific, and very much related to the continuing tensions between the societal forces that got rid of Mubarak and the security forces.

Evidently there have been problems at Al Masry/Ahly matches in the past, but this is looking more and more like the work of useful idiots who have provided the security forces with an excuse for continuing their crackdown on dissent.

The Zamalek ultras were so upset at what happened in Port Said that they burned their anti-Ahly banner in the stands during their match against Ismaili.

This is all unspeakably awful.

Penya - February 1, 2012 11:34 PM (GMT)

QUOTE

Horrific, and very much related to the continuing tensions between the societal forces that got rid of Mubarak and the security forces.

Looks like we posted similar thoughts at the same time. I am not too surprised at the political undertones to this tragedy but the mass deaths will likely turn the public even more against them (government security forces) so their plan to look the other way as Al Masry fans did their dirty work likely will backfire. The awful part though is the amount of lives lost.

ursus arctos - February 1, 2012 11:45 PM (GMT)

I hope you are right about the public reaction.

Egypt is going to be an even more dangerous place for people looking to express their opinions in the aftermath of this tragedy.

Alexao - February 2, 2012 05:32 AM (GMT)

An article from the Washington Post raising some of the same issues penya and ursus brought up of "outside interests" as being causes of this tragedy:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/at-lea...eTiQ_story.html

QUOTE

The bloodshed brought into sharp focus how much security has deteriorated over the past year as the revolt and its continuing ripples have chipped away at the pillars of the police state that made Egypt an exceptionally safe nation in recent decades.

Egyptian state TV says at least 73 are dead and many more are injured following clashes that erupted after a soccer match between Egypt's Al-Ahly and Al-Masry teams in Port Said. (Feb. 1)

The clashes represent one of the biggest crises the country’s interim military leaders have faced since they took power a year ago and will probably shape the debate among newly elected members of parliament about the country’s controversial emergency law, which gives security officials vast powers.

“How come there’s a match in Port Said and there’s known tension between the two teams’ fans and there are 12,000 spectators in the stadium and, yet, there is no security,” parliament member Mohammad Abu Hamed said on state TV.

**************************

Critics of the ruling military council took it to task for the violence, suggesting that the episode and other recent violent acts might have been orchestrated to justify the need to rule with an iron fist.

“Since when do innocent Egyptians get slaughtered in cold blood in Port Said?” Hamdeen Sabbahy, a presidential candidate, said in an interview broadcast on a private television channel. He added that state agents likely orchestrated the brawl to punish soccer fans for the role they have played during the revolution. “This is a dangerous phase, when Egypt loses 73 martyrs in a few hours.”

Al-Masry’s chief executive resigned shortly after the fight, saying carnage of that magnitude couldn’t have erupted spontaneously. “There are so many hands playing with our country so we can remain in the state of chaos and instability we are living now,” he said in a televised interview shortly after stepping down.

The death toll is now up to 74 but this article lists the injured as 200+, not the 1,000 reported before.

Was there a stampede which led to so many deaths or like Heysel a wall collapsing on fans and crushing them? Looking at the video, seems like there were ways out of the seating area for fans being rushed which would make being crushed in a stampede less likely. So were 74 people killed in fighting with rocks and pipes? Seems implausible doesn't it? You can see why so many fingers are being pointed at the security forces.

Martin - February 2, 2012 06:03 AM (GMT)

QUOTE (Penya @ Feb 1 2012, 03:34 PM)

QUOTE

Horrific, and very much related to the continuing tensions between the societal forces that got rid of Mubarak and the security forces.

The confluence of sports and politics, this event has become the deadliest one in post revolutionary Egypt and I am with penya, it will become a watershed event in the country's political scene. The massve amount of deaths will turn even more people against the current interim government's crackdowns. There will be more unrest as a result of this tragedy but hopefully it will accelerate the needed political change.

Rufus T. Firefly - February 2, 2012 06:33 AM (GMT)

Some fascinating tweets and video from the incident and protesting fans after the event, including the dead and wounded arriving via train back in Cairo at a NY Times blog:

http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/02/0...?ref=middleeast

Some possible explanations also for the high death toll,

QUOTE

Doctors quoted by Ahram Online said that many of the dead were trampled to death or died of suffocation in the melee. Adel Abdel Ghafar, an activist blogger, explained on Twitter that a private television channel was reporting that “there was a stampede at one of the gates that was closed with metal bars” and “people were crushed to death” as they tried to escape the stadium. He added that activists in Cairo planned to march to the Interior Ministry building on Thursday to protest the breakdown in security at the match.

But then elsewhere in the blog, this alternative explanation is also quoted, which squarely places blame not on security but on the Al Masry fans,

QUOTE

Another activist, the blogger Mahmoud Salem, who writes as Sandmonkey, reported on Twitter that one of the ultras who was at the match “said the deaths were due to use of knives, stampede, and fans jumping from the top of stadium to avoid getting stabbed.” He added that the fans at the station said they held only the Masry supporters who attacked them responsible, even though there was an obvious failure by the security forces to protect them.

shelsoccer - February 2, 2012 07:02 PM (GMT)

And this happens after the home team wins the game? Unbelievable.

I did read an article in the paper this morning that said that Egyptian security forces have been told to stand down and avoid physical confrontation. But, how can you let that go on?

Sammy Maudlin - February 2, 2012 07:22 PM (GMT)

FIFA are asking Egypt's FA for explanations on the security breakdown. And today Al Ahly fans, and I am sure many others marched to the Interior Ministry protesting the killings but police then turned tear gas on them. They were prepared for this demonstration but not yesterday's riot!

And to follow up on yesterday's comment about several Al Ahly players retiring,

QUOTE

Al-Ahly and Egypt players Mohamed Aboutrika and Emad Moteab have announced they will not play professional football again after witnessing Wednesday's violence.

Mohamed Barakat, who also represents the club and country, told Al-Ahly TV he will not consider playing again until there is "retribution for the people that died.''

http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/02022012/58/...ypt-deaths.html

Perhaps a heat of the moment response but that would be a big loss for Al Ahly and the Bob Bradley coached Egypt national team.

ursus arctos - February 2, 2012 08:14 PM (GMT)

The best explanation for the very high death toll that I've seen so far is that a majority of the deaths resulted from Ahly supporters trying to flee the stadium through a tunnel which they did not realize had been locked and bolted on the other end. Some supporters were trampled in the resulting crush, while others suffocated.

The public and political response in Egypt has been almost uniform condemnation of the security forces, which gives me even greater hope that the long term outcome that Penya outlined and Martin expanded upon may in fact be realized.

Merengue - February 2, 2012 09:09 PM (GMT)

I think long term there is a good chance that the outcome Penya and Martin discussed, political change, will eventually take place with this tragic event being something wich changes the whole discourse. But short term, the government likely will try and crackdown even more on political protestors.

The Egyptian Prime Minister has removed the entire board of Egypt's FA and referred them over to public prosecutors for investigation into yesterday's tragedy. But isn't governmental interference with a FA against FIFA's by laws? Doesn't Egypt risk being banned from FIFA while this happens? Perhaps that is the least of their worries, however, in the present situation?

rosarino - February 3, 2012 12:22 AM (GMT)

QUOTE

The Egyptian Prime Minister has removed the entire board of Egypt's FA and referred them over to public prosecutors for investigation into yesterday's tragedy. But isn't governmental interference with a FA against FIFA's by laws? Doesn't Egypt risk being banned from FIFA while this happens? Perhaps that is the least of their worries, however, in the present situation?

After this tragedy it is hard to imagine FIFA would be stupid enough to stand by the guys running the Egyptian FA, who if I recall from some previous articles are all still loyal to the former Mubarak government.

Al Ahly's assistant coach is an Argentinian and he was interviewed about yesterday's disaster. His comments make it even clearer than the police/security forces just stood by as the Al Masry fans were shooting fireworks all game long at the Al Ahly bench and towards the players. It was obvious, according to him, that there would be trouble. Yet we know what the police did, or in this case diid not do, once the game ended. And how did all those Al Masry fans bring in so many weapons without the complicity of the stadium security?

Johnbuildr - February 3, 2012 07:24 PM (GMT)

All this can not possibly bode well for Bradley and his national team development there...

autogol - February 4, 2012 04:03 AM (GMT)

Such a sad incident and one where the government security forces clearly let get out of hand. They wanted a disturbance but I agree with some others here that the large death toll and worldwide condemnation of what happened will end up having the opposite effect of what they intended. They may have wanted to "punish" Al Ahly supporters for their role in the Tahrir Square revolution and to show why the government still needs a state of emergency but now their folly has been exposed for all to see and while it won't happen overnight, I do think this tragedy will be a turning point in ridding the military council from ruling Egypt.

Hard in this case to separate sports and politics, from a sporting perspective, Egypt's league is suspended and likely will remain so for sometime in order to allow the situation to calm down. The effect on the national team John asks, I think they will likely start training together rather than remain with their clubs and that may end up being beneficial to the new national coach, Bob Bradley.

Dr. Z - February 4, 2012 06:08 AM (GMT)

I was reading where the gates behind the Al Ahly section were locked so fans could not escape the onslaught from the attacking Al Masry fans. An obvious sign of a conceived plot.

I am like others here in thinking eventually this will backfire on the authorities as they likely did not think it would evolve into such an enormous tragedy with so many lives lost. The fallout from this event will be enormous and long lasting in so many different aspects of Egyptian life-politically, socially and sportingly. You would think that once league play eventually does resume, any future games for years to come between Al Ahly and Al Masry would have to be played without fans for risk of revenge attacks by Al Ahly supporters on Al Masry fans.

Nkono - February 4, 2012 07:59 AM (GMT)

An excellent point Dr. Z about future Al Ahly-Al Masry games. The stain of this travesty will last for years to come. It is hard to underestimate the societal influence Al Ahly have in Egypt. It not only the most popular club in Africa's 2nd most populous nation it also is widely popular throughout the Arabic speaking world. There is no bigger club in Africa and the Middle East than Al Ahly and the fact that it was their fans, many of whom were active participants in the revolution which overthrew Mubarak, who suffered this unspeakable tragedy magnifies this sad event even more and I agree with the views that the ruling military council greatly miscalculated when they apparently "set up" this confrontation with the Al Masry fans. This event will lead to societal and governmental change.

raconteur - February 4, 2012 02:38 PM (GMT)

QUOTE (rosarino @ Feb 2 2012, 04:22 PM)

QUOTE

Sepp Blatter slams Egypt ‘political interference’

Blatter's remarks I think are more directed at the likely political intentions the security forces "turning a blind eye" had in this tragedy but continued political interference in the Egyptian FA could result in a FIFA ban,

QUOTE

FIFA president Sepp Blatter has slammed "political interference" in Egyptian football, in the wake of the death of 74 fans in riots following a midweek domestic match.

"In Egypt, football has been victim of political interference," he said late Friday at the opening of a Conmebol meeting in Paraguay.

"We cannot accept it. Football is for the people, the youth, to offer emotion and hope. We will never accept that it be used for political ends."

Merengue - February 5, 2012 05:48 AM (GMT)

Although the Prime Minister ostensibly sacked the president of Egypt's FA and the entire board, they all subsequently resigned rather than fighting the Prime Minister's decree. According to FIFA, the entire board stepping down does not constitute governmental interference into the running of the FA so Egypt are in the clear with FIFA over the changing of the board. Now we will see how a new board and president will be selected.

Now on to the tragic event itself, here is an account from two brothers who play for Al Masry, Egyptian police incited massacre at stadium, say angry footballers, which just backs our discussion here that this was a plot by the government run security forces. It is disturbing news, but not surprising in the wake of other things we have read and discussed about this sad event.

QUOTE

After the match finished, hundreds of Al-Masry supporters were seen to surge across the pitch to the visitors' end as panicked Ahly fans made for the exit. But it has emerged the steel doors were bolted shut, resulting in dozens being crushed to death.

"I have many friends who were in the stadium, and they swear to me that the police were saying to them 'Go and beat the shit out of them [Ahly fans] – they're saying you're not men'," said Mohamed, who was not playing and watched the game in a cafe near the stadium.

"During the second half, I saw about 10 armed thugs gathering outside the stadium, right in front of the police; there were about 50 policemen, but not a single one of them moved. The thugs had swords and were probably hiding other weapons. But I found the response of the police really odd. Other thugs arrived in cars and some went straight round to the away stand."

And even more troubling,

QUOTE

Mohamed said he had felt something was wrong before kick-off. "Firstly, there was no real searching of fans as they entered the stadium, which is really unusual," he said. "Tickets weren't being checked, and there was no searching at all. And for the first time in the history of our town, the governor and chief of police did not attend this game."

Karim said he had heard that a man arrested on Friday had confessed to helping orchestrate the violence. "He said that there were more than 600 people hired from outside Port Said who entered the game. They'd taken money from one of the sacked National Democratic party members … He told them to kill and cause havoc in the stadium, and now everyone is searching for him."

These brothers are Kerim and Mohamed Zekri, each players for Al Masry.

Yogi - February 5, 2012 09:44 PM (GMT)

QUOTE

Not so fast, FIFA to step in to reinstate Egypt’s FA, says Blatter

QUOTE

Blatter, attending an extraordinary congress of the South American Football Confederation at its Paraguay headquarters, said the EFA’s suspension after Wednesday’s violence was a direct intervention into soccer affairs which FIFA could not accept.

“The information we have received at FIFA confirms the number of dead as 74. It was also confirmed that the (Egyptian) government intervened directly by suspending the (country’s) football association,” Blatter told a news conference.

“We are going to take up the case from tomorrow (Monday) so that this association is reinstated because it is the (body) that has the responsibility to organise the competitions and it must carry on (its work),” the president of world soccer’s governing body said.

Merengue - February 6, 2012 05:56 PM (GMT)

Now that is the FIFA I know, protecting their own, whether right or wrong!

Rufus T. Firefly - February 16, 2012 05:15 AM (GMT)

The Egyptian league will start up again but will be played without fans, at least for now. The temporary head of the Egyptian FA says,

Security is the priority of all Egyptians and if it is achieved, the fans will return to the stands gradually."

raconteur - February 16, 2012 05:58 PM (GMT)

QUOTE (Rufus T. Firefly @ Feb 15 2012, 09:15 PM)

Some positive news at least. I can imagine at some point home fans may be allowed in but visiting fans could still be banned for awhile longer. Then eventually once visiting fans are permitted they could be banned for select games such as those where there are known tensions between rival supporters, i.e. Al Ahly-Zamalek and obviously Al Ahly-Al Masry.

Rufus T. Firefly - February 17, 2012 07:54 AM (GMT)

The league would not resume under this proposal to first play the games without fans, until the official period of mourning for the dead is over on March 15.

Yogi - February 17, 2012 06:09 PM (GMT)

QUOTE (Rufus T. Firefly @ Feb 16 2012, 11:54 PM)

The league would not resume under this proposal to first play the games without fans, until the official period of mourning for the dead is over on March 15.

And consequently Egypt requested and was granted a postponement of their African nations Cup qualifier vs Central African Republic,

QUOTE

Egypt’s African Nations Cup qualifier in the Central African Republic has been postponed until June following the violence at a football match in Port Said that left 74 people dead on Feb. 1.

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) on Friday confirmed the match, originally due to be played on Feb. 29, had been rescheduled. It is one of the qualifiers for the 2013 Nations Cup in South Africa.

The Egypt Football Association successfully requested the postponement from their Central African Republic counterparts last week and CAF have confirmed the agreement, a spokesman told Reuters.

The two countries will now meet on successive weekends in June. The first leg of their first-round tie will be played in Cairo on June 15 and the return in Bangui on June 24.

http://sports.yahoo.com/soccer/news?slug=reu-africaegypt

libero - March 24, 2012 05:03 PM (GMT)

An update on some developments in wake of the vilence between Al Masry & Al Ahly. The main development:

9 police officers among the 75 charged with involvement in the attack on the Al Ahly fans,

QUOTE

Survivors of the stadium riot say men wielding batons, knifes, and fireworks streamed from Al-Masry stands and stormed the field to attack Al-Ahly fans, stabbing them, undressing them and tossing them off bleachers while the police looked on.

Egypt’s general prosecutor charged 75 people including nine senior police officers with assisting the attackers from Al-Masry stands. The officers, along with several al-Masry officials, allegedly knew in advance that the home fans planned to attack al-Ahly supporters, yet they were allowed to enter the grounds without being searched for weapons as is customary in soccer matches.

The policemen also allegedly allowed 3,000 more people into the stadium than the maximum number authorized to attend the game.

The prosecution said that many of them were criminals known to the local police. It said the killing of the protesters was planned in advance and that the culprits prepared for the massacre with knifes, rocks and explosives. Fans from the two teams have a history of animosity.

Some witnesses have given accounts about “thugs” brought in from outside, but among those charged, more than 60 of them are Al-Masry fans.

Some sickening accusations. But not really surprising and it confirms what was speculated on in the immediate aftermath of the incident.

Today Al Masry fans protested again after it was announced that Al Masry would be suspended from league play for two years (through the end of 2013) and their stadium closed for 3 years.

Sammy Maudlin - March 25, 2012 05:06 PM (GMT)

James Dorsey, who blogs on Middle Eastern soccer, with a post on how both clubs seem unhappy with the decision made:

http://mideastsoccer.blogspot.com/2012/03/...-to-spread.html

Al Ahly claiming the punishments don't go far enough and that only 9 police were charged and then only with negligence. Al Masry fans complaining that their club is being scapegoated for a political dispute.

Sammy Maudlin - April 23, 2012 01:30 PM (GMT)

Egypt's Cup competition has been cancelled due to security reasons and apparently the league has still not resumed and may not go ahead at all this season.

Egypt's national team is training on it's own in preparation for June's World Cup and African Cup qualifying. They are unbeaten in a series of friendlies mainly played in assorted Persian Gulf states.

raconteur - July 6, 2012 02:27 AM (GMT)

After a 7 month hiatus Egyptian league play will resume in August.

Merengue - September 5, 2012 11:32 PM (GMT)

QUOTE (raconteur @ Jul 5 2012, 06:27 PM)

After a 7 month hiatus Egyptian league play will resume in August.

And the Ultras, especially from Al Ahly, are upset at the league resuming before the trial of those charged with inciting the violence at last year's Al Masry-Al Ahly game takes place.

On Wednesday, the trial was suspended until Sep. 17 to allow the court time to review a request by the defense to replace the judge.

The demonstrators also protested that the Al-Masry team, whose fans were believed to be in part responsible for the deadly riots, will be allowed to play again. The team was banned by Egypt's Football Association, but the decision was overturned by an international court of arbitration for sports.

The Al-Masry team has said it will forfeit its games this season due to security concerns and because many of its players were allowed to transfer to other teams.

Martin - September 6, 2012 12:31 AM (GMT)

So they are protesting with violence the fact there has not yet been a rush to judgment for those awaiting trial for violent acts? OKAY...

Merengue - September 10, 2012 10:05 PM (GMT)

Apparently the protests worked, Egypt football federation delays league games.

Egypt's Sports Ministry has decided to delay the start of the country's premier league for one month, following the storming by angry fans of the football association's headquarters.

Association head Amer Hussein told reporters Saturday that delaying games until Oct. 17 is to allow the 18 league teams to be paid from television stations broadcasting matches.

Yogi - November 23, 2012 07:45 PM (GMT)

New Season to start in Egypt

QUOTE

Egypt will finally kick off their delayed soccer season on Dec. 15, ending a 10-month hiatus of domestic action in Africa's most successful nation since the Port Said Stadium disaster earlier this year, the local football association said.

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It is likely the new season will be sped up by dividing the teams into two groups to limit fixtures and then have a playoff competition in May to decide the title.

raconteur - January 27, 2013 06:32 AM (GMT)

The cycle of violence continues in Egypt Relatives and angry young men rampaged through the Egyptian city of Port Said on Saturday in assaults that killed at least 27 people following death sentences for local fans involved in the country's worst bout of soccer violence

The death sentences are appealable. But this is not Italy where everything gets turned over on appeal.

Yogi - January 29, 2013 05:30 AM (GMT)

Wow they do not play in Egypt when it comes to dealing out "justice." Yet it is very hard to justify such harsh sentences, the ultimate criminal sentence, in this instance.

Don Balon - March 10, 2013 06:49 AM (GMT)

QUOTE (raconteur @ Jan 27 2013, 07:32 AM)

Most of the death sentences are confirmed after appeal. Upsetting supporters of both Al Ahly (who think some escaped justice) and of Al Masry (who think the punishments were too severe),

QUOTE

The ruling enraged residents of Port Said, at the northern entrance of the Suez Canal, by confirming the death sentences imposed on 21 local soccer fans for their role in the riot last year, when more than 70 people were killed.

But the court also angered rival fans in Cairo by acquitting a further 28 defendants whom they wanted punished, including seven members of the police force, reviled across society for its brutality under deposed autocrat Hosni Mubarak.

Security sources said two people, a man in his 30s and a young boy, had died in Cairo from the effects of tear gas and rubber bullets. A total of 65 people were injured.

Yogi - March 12, 2013 06:30 AM (GMT)

An "eye for an eye" apparently still applies in Egypt. Death sentences for a football riot, then others causing further deaths because they think the punishments are either too severe or don't go far enough! What a screwed up society!

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