The killing of more than 20 soccer fans outside a Cairo stadium in a melee with security forces has revived scrutiny of police tactics in Egypt less than a month after a woman was shot dead during the dispersal of a peaceful protest marking the anniversary of the 2011 uprising.
The violence late Sunday, which prompted the Cabinet to suspend the national football league indefinitely, came three years after Egypt witnessed one of the deadliest soccer riots in the sport’s history, and dealt a further blow to the military-backed government’s attempt to project an image of stability after four years of political turmoil.
The Cabinet announced the suspension of the national league late Sunday after riot police clashed with hundreds of soccer fans and fired tear gas to clear a narrow corridor leading to the Air Defense stadium in an eastern Cairo suburb, setting off a deadly stampede.
Egypt last suspended the league in 2012 after 74 fans were killed in rioting that broke out following a match in the Suez Canal city of Port Said. That violence sparked outrage at the police and the transitional military council that had assumed power following the 2011 overthrow of President Hosni Mubarak.
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Sunday’s match, pitting Zamalek against ENPPI, two Cairo-based teams, kicked off more than an hour behind schedule. Zamalek is leading the league, with ENPPI three points behind in second place. The teams drew 1-1.
Fans attending the match in the stadium were apparently aware of the clashes and fatalities outside.
They chanted: “We either win retribution for them or die like they did.”
