Port Said Stadium disaster
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The Port Said Stadium disaster occurred on 1 February 2012, following a football match between Al-Masry Club and Al-Ahly S.C. at Port Said Stadium in Port Said, Egypt.
At least 79 people were killed after thousands of people stormed the field, following a 3–1 victory by Al-Masry.[2][3] Rival fans attacked the fleeing Al-Ahly players, and their fans, using knives, swords, clubs, stones, bottles, and fireworks as weapons. Over 1,000 injuries were reported.
Background
The kick-off was delayed thirty minutes because Al-Masry fans were on the pitch before the match. During half-time and after each of three late goals for Al-Masry, its fans ran on the pitch,[4] and at the conclusion of the match, thousands of spectators ran onto the playing field.
Al-Masry fans threw bottles and fireworks at the Al-Ahly players, who ran away from their attackers.[5] The Al-Masry fans were armed with knives, swords, clubs, and stones,[6] and subsequently attacked the Al-Ahly fans, who tried to escape by running away.[6][7]
In the ensuing melees, 79 people were killed.[5] Some were stabbed and clubbed, while others were deliberately thrown off the stands or died in the stampede.[8] Hisham Sheha, an official in the health ministry, said the deaths were caused by stab wounds, brain hemorrhages, and concussions.[7] Over 1,000 injuries were reported, some from the panic in the crowd as fans tried to escape.[9] At least 47 people were arrested.[2] The Egyptian army airlifted in soldiers by helicopter to rescue players who had been stranded and trapped in the locker rooms.[5]
Al-Ahly coach Manuel José was kicked and punched by fans after he was unable to return to his locker room. He was afterwards taken to a police station. Both José and Mohamed Aboutrika reported that fans died in the Al-Ahly locker room. Aboutrika decided to retire from football, along with Mohamed Barakat and Emad Moteab, while José is considering leaving Egypt.[10][11]
Video footage appears to show that the police appeared unable or unwilling to contain groups attacking each other with knives and other weapons.[9] Eyewitnesses said that police "did nothing to stop it", and "refused to open the gates" to allow the crowds to escape.[12] The bureau chief of the Voice of America in Egypt received reports that police opened barriers separating Al-Ahly and Al-Masry supporters.[13] Another witness said that many people were allowed into the stadium without tickets.[13]
Another match in Cairo, Zamalek vs Ismaily, was cancelled due to the Port Said deaths.[4][14]
Involvement of Ultras
The New York Times reported that a major factor in the riots was the involvement of extremist football fans known as ultras, who were reportedly also involved in clashes in Tahrir Square during the Egyptian revolution protests.[9]
Reactions
Manuel José
In an interview for Portuguese channel RTP1, Al-Ahly coach Manuel José said that the whole massacre was orchestrated. He said that at the north end of the stadium there was a banner that said, in English: "We are going to kill you all", a slogan which he thought was directed at the international media and not at the teams. He said that the gates at the south end, where the Al-Ahly fans were located, were locked and some fans died of asphyxiation there.
He criticized the police, saying that they were sitting down, not facing the pitch and did not move at all during all the pitch invasions that occurred throughout the match, despite being armed and in considerable numbers. José considered retiring the team at half-time and said that the referee should have cancelled the match then. He stated that he saw everyone going towards the Al-Ahly end and saw people falling off the stands. He was taken to a VIP room and tried to return to the locker room, but it was impossible to get there. He reported that four people died in the Al-Ahly locker room.
José will return to Portugal for a month and gave the team a vacation period. He wishes to remain at Al-Ahly for a couple more years before retiring, saying that he likes living there, loves the club and is treated very well.[15]
Government
The BBC reported that the deputy health minister said that "it is the biggest disaster in the country's football history."[3] The Parliament of Egypt called for an emergency session to be held on 2 February 2012 to discuss a response.[9][16] Parliament Speaker Saad el-Katatni of the Muslim Brotherhood asserted that security authorities had hesitated to act.[5]
FIFA
FIFA President Sepp Blatter issued a statement that read:
I am very shocked and saddened to learn this evening that a large number of Football supporters have died or been injured following a match in Port Said, Egypt. My thoughts are with the families of those who have lost their lives this evening. This is a black day for football. Such a catastrophic situation is unimaginable and should not happen.[17]
Subsequent matches of the 2011–12 Egyptian Premier League were immediately postponed following the disaster.[9][18] On 10 March 2012, the Egyptian Football Association announced their decision to cancel the remainder of the season.[19] A spokesperson for the Egyptian Football Association said the decision was made because there was insufficient time to play the remaining games before the national team was scheduled to compete in the 2012 Olympics and qualifiers for the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations.[19]
Media
ESPN.com columnist Brent Latham, however, suggested that the virtually unanimous verdict of the Egyptian public was that the riots were politically motivated:[13]
It's been widely noted that the circumstances surrounding the riot are suspicious at best. The massacre came on the one-year anniversary of the storming of Tahrir Square by a group of pro-Mubarak counter-revolutionaries. It was directed at a group known for manifesting a liberal political agenda through support for a team founded in the name of historically disenfranchised workers and students. And it occurred at a moment when the interim military government has urged the citizenry to support the extension of emergency powers, and with the seeming complicity of law enforcement and stadium security.
Alleged political involvement
Following the incident, anti-government political activists accused the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF)[8] and remnants of the old regime still in positions of power; asserting that the events were of a “counter revolutionary” nature. Activists cited the recent rise of high-profile crime levels in the week leading up to the event as evidence that the violence had been organized (in Cairo and Helwan; two bank robberies and the heist of an armored vehicle transporting money.[20][21] In Sharm el-Sheikh; an armed robbery in a currency exchange led to the murder of a French tourist).[22]
The significance of the date on which the violence occurred also supported these allegations; the violence in Port Said taking place on the eve of the first anniversary of what later became known as "the battle of the camel"[23]; when armed thugs stormed protesters in Tahrir Square on camel-back. This was seen by activists as a last-ditch effort by the ruling party to assert control and spread fear of chaos (the Egyptian president at the time having warned, in a televised speech on 1 February 2011, of "chaos" if he was to step down).[24]
Security irregularities prior to the game have also been referred to in the activists' allegations; attendees of the game claimed that, in contrast with normal procedures, no security searches were conducted at the stadium entrances, allowing makeshift weapons to be smuggled in. Eyewitnesses also claimed that the attending security personnel took no action to prevent or mitigate the clashes, effectively standing aside and observing the attacks take place[25]. There were other claims that the gates of the stadium were locked shut, locking the minority Al-Ahly supporters in.[26][27]
Al-Ahly ultras claim that they were specifically targeted given their vocal, and recently highly televised calls for the SCAF to step down in recent games, as well as their open mockery of the previous regime and the SCAF. The ultras have been one of the largest organized bodies of resistance in recent street protests after the conspicuous absence of the Muslim Brotherhood following parliamentary elections.[26]
Match
| 1 February 2012 15:30 (UTC+2) |
Al-Masry | 3–1 | Al-Ahly |
Port Said Stadium, Port Said |
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Zakaria  72', 83'Cissé 90+2'
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Report |
Fábio Junior 11'
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See also
References
- ^ "Egypt football pitch invasion leaves dozens dead". The Guardian (UK: Guardian News and Media). 1 February 2012. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/feb/01/egypt-football-pitch-invasion-dead?newsfeed=true. Retrieved 1 February 2012.
- ^ a b c d Fahmy, Mohamed Fadel; Lee, Ian (2 February 2012). "Anger flares in Egypt after 79 die in soccer riot". Turner Broadcasting System. http://edition.cnn.com/2012/02/02/world/africa/egypt-soccer-deaths/index.html?hpt=hp_t1. Retrieved 2 February 2012.
- ^ a b "Egypt football violence leaves many dead in Port Said". BBC News. 1 February 2012. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-16845841. Retrieved 1 February 2012.
- ^ a b "Viele Tote bei Fußballkrawallen in Ägypten [Many death at football riots in Egypt]" (in German). tagesschau.de. 1 February 2012. http://www.tagesschau.de/ausland/fussballaegypten100.html. Retrieved 4 February 2012.
- ^ a b c d Enoch, Nick (3 February 2012). "Five protesters shot dead by police in clashes in Cairo as unrest following football riot leaves new government on brink". Daily Mail (Associated Newspapers). http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2095579/Egypt-football-violence-Riot-spreads-thousands-protesters-clash-police-Cairo.html. Retrieved 3 February 2012.
- ^ a b Hussein, Abdel-Rahman; Chulov, Martin (2 February 2012). "Egypt football violence: 'I saw people with knives and swords'". The Guardian (Guardian News and Media). http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/feb/02/egypt-football-violence-knives-swords?newsfeed=true. Retrieved 3 February 2012.
- ^ a b Michael, Maggie (1 February 2012). "Egyptians Blame Military for Deadly Soccer Riot". Associated Press. ABC News. http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/egypts-muslim-brotherhood-criticizes-protesters-15489189. Retrieved 3 February 2012.
- ^ a b Tarek, Sherif (3 February 2012). "Egypt military rulers accused of instigating Port Said disaster". Ahram Online (Al-Ahram Publishing House). http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/33589/Egypt/Politics-/Egypt-military-rulers-accused-of-instigating-Port-.aspx.
- ^ a b c d e Kirkpatrick, David (1 February 2012). "More than 70 killed in Egyptian soccer mayhem". The New York Times (The New York Times Company). http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/02/world/middleeast/scores-killed-in-egyptian-soccer-mayhem.html. Retrieved 1 February 2012.
- ^ Monteiro, Duarte (1 February 2012). "Manuel José está bem após a tragédia no Al Ahly x Al-Masri". http://www.zerozero.pt/noticia.php?id=49103. (in Portuguese)
- ^ "Egypt football riots: three Egypt internationals retire after mass deaths in stadium riot". The Daily Telegraph (UK: Telegraph Media Group). 2 February 2012. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/9057194/Egypt-football-riots-three-Egypt-internationals-retire-after-mass-deaths-in-stadium-riot.html. Retrieved 3 February 2012.
- ^ Fahmy, Mohamed Fadel (2 February 2012). "Eyewitnesses: Police stood idle in Egypt football massacre". CNN (Turner Broadcasting System). http://edition.cnn.com/2012/02/02/world/africa/egypt-soccer-deaths-color/index.html. Retrieved 2 February 2012.
- ^ a b c Latham, Brent (2 February 2012). "The politics behind Egypt's soccer riot". ESPN Inc.. http://espn.go.com/sports/soccer/story/_/id/7532975/the-politics-egypt-soccer-riot-brent-latham. Retrieved 2 February 2012.
- ^ "Zamaley – Ismaily match report". soccerway.com. 1 February 2012. http://de.soccerway.com/matches/2012/02/01/egypt/premier-league/zamalek/ismaily-sporting-club/1249072/. Retrieved 4 February 2012.
- ^ "Telejornal". RTP1 News. 3 February.
- ^ "73 dead in violence at Egyptian soccer match". RTÉ News. Raidió Teilifís Éireann. 1 February 2012. http://www.rte.ie/news/2012/0201/egypt.html. Retrieved 1 February 2012.
- ^ "FIFA President’s statement on Egypt disaster". FIFA. 1 February 2012. http://www.fifa.com/aboutfifa/organisation/president/news/newsid=1577935/index.html. Retrieved 1 February 2012.
- ^ Spencer, Richard (1 February 2012). "At least 70 people dead after fire and riot at Egyptian soccer match". The Daily Telegraph. UK: Telegraph Media Group. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/9055424/At-least-70-people-dead-after-fire-and-riot-at-Egyptian-soccer-match.html. Retrieved 1 February 2012.
- ^ a b "Egypt's Premier League cancelled". BBC. 10 March 2012. http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/17324997. Retrieved 11 March 2012.
- ^ Ammar, Manar (30 January 2012). "Egypt bank robbers steal in two separate incidents". Bikyamasr. http://bikyamasr.com/55393/egypt-bank-robbers-steal-in-two-separate-incidents/.
- ^ "In Cairo, third major armed robbery in under two days". Egypt Independent. 31 January 2012. http://www.egyptindependent.com/node/630841.
- ^ "French tourist killed in shooting in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula". Haaretz. Associated Press. 28 January 2012. http://www.haaretz.com/news/middle-east/french-tourist-killed-in-shooting-in-egypt-s-sinai-peninsula-1.409691.
- ^ "NDP's battle of the camel". Al-Ahram Weekly (Al-Ahram Publishing House). 23 March 2011. http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2011/1039/eg21.htm.
- ^ "Mubarak Warns Of 'Chaos' If He Leaves Office Early". NPR. 3 February 2011. http://www.npr.org/2011/02/04/133456631/egyptian-army-moves-between-rival-camps-in-cairo. Retrieved 3 February 2011.
- ^ "Footage of the events in Port Said stadium". TVmisr. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pnhRzymmz90. Retrieved 1 February 2012.
- ^ a b El Dahshan, Mohamed (1 February 2012). "Egypt's tragedy: This is not just soccer violence". Foreign Policy (The Washington Post Company). http://transitions.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2012/02/01/egypts_tragedy_this_is_not_just_soccer_violence#.TyqX1Y__AEp.facebook.
- ^ Hussein, Abdel-Rahman (3 February 2012). "Port Said fans blame security, infiltrators for match violence". Egypt Independent. http://www.egyptindependent.com/node/636151.
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