Deadly Soccer Riot of the Day: Over 70 people — 74 by last count — have been killed and hundreds of others injured as a result of a massive melee which took place in the Egyptian city of Port Said following the conclusion of a soccer match.
After the local Al-Masry club defeated visiting Cairo-based rival Al-Ahly 3 to 1, fans descended on the field to celebrate the rare victory.
But celebration quickly turned to clashes as supporters took advantage of the post-revolution “security vacuum” to whale on each other with an assortment of cold weapons.
“There were clearly riot police on that pitch, but they were seen either not getting involved or running in the other direction,” said Al Jazeera correspondent Rawya Rageh.
Ultimately, the Egyptian air force had to be called in to evacuate the Al-Ahly players who were trapped in their locker room.
The two Egyptian Premier League teams have an established history of bad blood, but none of their previous brawls resulted in casualties of this magnitude.
“This is unfortunate and deeply saddening,” Egypt’s deputy health minister Hesham Sheiha is quoted as saying. “It is the biggest disaster in Egypt’s soccer history.”
The parliament announced that it will hold an emergency session to determine the cause of today’s violence, but the Muslim Brotherhood wasted no time placing blame on Mubarak supporters.
“The events in Port Said are planned and are a message from the remnants of the former regime,” said Freedom and Justice Party representative Essam al-Erian.
Meanwhile, Port Said braces for further turbulence as Al-Ahly’s die-hard fans — known as Ultras — publicly stated their intention to head toward the area tonight.
Watch footage of the clashes below:
[photo: ap via chron.]
