Egypt: Two Shot Dead in Clashes after Football Tragedy
Cairo--Two people have died and at least 400 others injured in protests across Egypt following death of over 74 people in a tragic football match.
The two were killed on Friday morning as police fired live ammunition to disperse rowdy protestors trying to break into a police station in the city of Suez.
The protests follow Wednesday’s tragedy involving a football match between the country’s top-tier teams in the city of Port Said where the port’s side al-Masry won 3-1 against Cairo’s al-Ahly, sparking a post-match pitch invasion by fans that clashed, leaving over 74 dead and other 1000 injured.
In the capital, Cairo thousands of protestors remained on the streets for the second day Friday, laying siege outside the Interior Ministry building. About 400 are reported wounded in the late Thursday’s confrontation between the protestors who many of them suffered from effects of teargas fired by the police said to be protecting the building.
The football incident, largely blamed on the police for letting al-Masry fans attack their opponents, has now taken a political shape as stone-throwing al-Ahly supporters gathered outside the club’s stadium in Cairo chanting anti-military ruler slogans.
Al-Ahly fans or the “Ultras” known for their notoriety in violence and confrontations with the police, were instrumental in the “January 25” revolution that saw country’s long-serving leader Hosni Mubarak step down in the face of protests.
The Egyptian prime minister announced sacking of several senior officials, including Port Said's director of security and the head of investigations were suspended and were now in custody.
Interior Minister Mohamed Ibrahim faced much blame for the incident during Thursday’s emergency parliamentary session where house members including Islamist Muslim brotherhood who control 70% of the house called for him to be held account, accusing him of negligence.
The military council assumed power after Mubarak’s exit but has come under criticism of being an obstacle to democratic transition of power, which it promises to hand over in June to an elected president.
Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, the head of the military rulers, in response to the match incident has vowed that Egypt would remain stable, talking of a “roadmap to transfer power to elected civilians.”