Egypt Football: Death Sentences Over Port Said Stadium Violence

[MrRed]

An Egyptian court has sentenced to death 21 defendants over clashes between rival football fans in which 74 people were killed in February 2012.

The riots - Egypt's worst-ever football disaster - began after a top-league game at Port Said stadium.

The ruling sparked a clash outside Port Said prison, where defendants are held, with at least eight people killed.

The sentences came after clashes erupted on the second anniversary of the uprising that ousted Hosni Mubarak.

Thousands of people took to the streets on Friday to voice their opposition to Islamist President Mohammed Morsi, accusing him of betraying the revolution.

At least seven people were killed and more than 450 wounded in unrest across Egypt.

Last year's football riots led to the suspension of the league.

They began minutes after the game in Port Said. Fans of local side al-Masry invaded the pitch, hurling stones and fireworks at visiting supporters from Cairo club al-Ahly.

The violence in Port Said sparked riots in Cairo during which a further 16 people died.

A section of al-Ahly supporters, known as the "ultras", played a prominent role in the protests against ex-President Mubarak.

Some accused supporters of the toppled leader of instigating the Port Said violence. They also accused them of doing little to prevent it.

All 21 defendants sentenced to death on Saturday were al-Masry fans. When the verdicts were announced by a judge in the Cairo court, relatives of victims cheered.

However, the ruling sparked violence in Port Said, where supporters and relatives of those sentenced tried to storm the prison. The eight people who died in the clash included two policemen, officials say.

Seventy-three people, including nine policemen, were tried over the stadium clashes. None are al-Ahly fans.

The judge said he would announce verdicts for the remaining defendants on 9 March.

Edited January 26, 2013 by MrRed