Soccer Riot in Egypt Leaves 74 Dead

A bloody brawl between rival fans left 74 killed and hundreds injured at the culmination of a soccer match in Port Said, Egypt on Wednesday.

The fight that followed an Egyptian league match between the home team and underdog, Al-Masry, and one of Egypt’s most popular teams, Al-Ahly, was the worst case of soccer violence in Egypt and the deadliest worldwide since 1996.

When the final whistle blew and Al-Masry prevailed, thousands of rival fans began to pummel one other to the ground. Players from both teams were able to leave the field just as chaos began to ensue.

Players from both teams were upset about the events that occurred after the game.

“People here are dying and no one is doing a thing. It’s like a war,” Al-Ahly Player Mohammed Abu Trika said.

The altercation is the most recent reminder of chaos in Egypt since the overthrow of President Hosni Mubarak one year ago. Although the soccer feud does not appear to be directly related to the political instability in Egypt, it is a fresh reminder of the citizens’ testing of the police system to control riots.

Organized groups of die-hard soccer fans, or Ultras, as they are called in Egypt, continue to prove they play a large role in the political spectrum since President Mubarak left office.

Video evidence shows hundreds of black-uniformed police with helmets and shields standing and watching as thousands of rival fans throw rocks and sticks as well as Molotov cocktails at one another. Security officials said that the ministry had issued directives for its personnel not to “engage” with civilians after recent clashes between police and protesters in November left more than 40 people dead.

The Egyptian Parliament called for a special session on Thursday to discuss the recent massacre. Several other soccer matches were immediately postponed.

Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, the head of the military leadership that gained power following the overthrow of Mubarak, was optimistic about the immediate future in Egypt

“[The brawl] will not bring Egypt down,” Tantawi said. “This will not affect Egypt and its security.”

International Federation of Association Football President Sepp Blatter said he was “shocked and saddened” by the match in Egypt.

“This is a black day for football,” Blatter said in a statement. “Such a catastrophic situation is unimaginable and should not happen.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.