Football : affrontement au Caire – 2 février 2012

Egypt football violence: Tear gas during Cairo clashes

bbc.co.uk

2 02 2012

Demonstrators angered by the deaths of 74 people after a football match in the city of Port Said on Wednesday have clashed with police outside the Egyptian interior ministry in Cairo.

Police fired tear gas to stop protesters getting near the ministry.

Earlier, the Egyptian prime minister announced the sackings of senior officials in Port Said and at the Egyptian football association.

Funerals of some of the victims took place in Port Said.

Wednesday’s riot began when fans invaded the pitch after a football match involving top Cairo club al-Ahly and the Port Said side al-Masry.

Young, poor and unemployed – many of the Ahly football fans caught up in the violence on the terraces in Port Said also took part in the battles for Tahrir Square. What they want are jobs and the opportunity to escape their predicament. What they hate are privileged and powerful symbols of authority.

Internet forums and blogs are full of conspiracy theories, blaming the generals for deliberately allowing Ahly fans to be attacked. The Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt’s biggest political movement, also accused the military of fomenting unrest to prevent the peaceful transfer of power.

That seems far-fetched. All we know for sure is that poorly paid and poorly trained riot police failed to keep apart two sets of football fans with a history of violence and mutual hatred.

After the overthrow of President Mubarak, you might expect everyone to now come together, preparing for a new era. But the reality is that Egypt is still a country in turmoil.

At least 1,000 people were injured, in addition to the 74 people killed.

Slogans and stones

In Cairo, people gathered in the streets around Tahrir Square, the focal point of last year’s protests which led to the overthrow of President Hosni Mubarak. Read more…

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