At least 70 people have died in Port Said, Egypt, in a riot following a soccer match, and the violence is spreading to other cities with a protestors blame the deaths on inadequate protection provided by Egypt’s security forces.
Egypt’s Cup Competition Canceled Due To Security Concerns
The Egyptian soccer season is over following the country’s national cup competition being canceled because of security concerns. The league season was already canceled after the riots during a match in Port Said, and now the Ministry of the Interior has moved to cancel the cup matches scheduled throughout the month of May as well.
Riots at a Feb. 1 match in Port Said killed 74 people and led to 75 arrests. According to the Egyptian Football Association, the Ministry of the Interior does not plan to allow any soccer matches to be played until the court proceedings in connection to the riots are complete. The ministry believes that only then will they understand what happens in Port Said and be able to guarantee safety for all future matches.
Read Article >Bob Bradley Reportedly Donates Two Months Of Pay To Port Said Families
Bradley is reportedly being paid about €30,000 per month to try to lead Egypt back to the World Cup for the first time since 1990 and just the third time in the country’s history. He is on a two-year contract. Even more than what he’s already done, Bradley has also notably said that he plans on sticking it out despite all the turmoil.
Read Article >VIDEO: Exits Meant For Al-Ahly Fans Apparently Welded Shut
Recently released video seems to suggest that exit gates meant for use by al-Ahly fans were welded shut, which would add evidence to accusations that al-Masry security was purposefully lax ahead of the deadly riots. This video is hardly proof of anything, as there’s no way of knowing many things surrounding its authenticity, but it does cast a rather ominous shadow.
Read Article >VIDEO: Deadly Pitch Invasion As Dozens Dead Following Al-Masry Vs. Al-Ahly
Warning: The video below the jump does not for fun viewing. The contentious Al-Masry vs. Al-Ahly rivalry took a pretty awful turn following Al-Masry’s 3-1 home win today - following the match the pitch was invaded by Al-Masry fans and the visiting staff and players - as well as anyone getting in the way - were attacked, and as more and more people joined the fray, the whole thing turned into a deadly riot.
At the time of writing, the death toll stands at 53. This is about the worst thing that’s happened in football in recent memory.
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