Port Said Stadium Riot
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On 1 February 2012, a massive riot occurred at
Port Said Stadium Al Masry Club Stadium (), formerly known as Port Said Stadium (), was a multi-use all-seated stadium in Al Manakh, Port Said, Egypt, which was mostly used for football and was the home of Al Masry between 1958 and 2012. The stadium, which had a ...
in
Port Said Port Said ( ar, بورسعيد, Būrsaʿīd, ; grc, Πηλούσιον, Pēlousion) is a city that lies in northeast Egypt extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, north of the Suez Canal. With an approximate population of 6 ...
, Egypt, following an
Egyptian Premier League The Egyptian Premier League ( ar, الدوري المصري الممتاز), also known as WE Egyptian Premier League (WE EPL) after the addition of title sponsor WE, is a professional association football league in Egypt and the top level of th ...
football match between Masry and Ahly. Seventy-four people were killed and more than 500 were injured after thousands of Al Masry fans stormed the stadium stands and the pitch following a 3–1 victory by their club, and violently attacked Ahly fans using clubs, stones, machetes, knives, bottles and fireworks, trapping them inside the El Ahly partition of the stadium. Many of the deaths were due to police refusal to open the stadium gates, trapping the Ahly fans inside, leaving some to die, and killing others in a stampede while trying to escape. Civil unrest and severe clashes continued until 11 February, but general strikes ended on 13 February. Riots erupted in Cairo, Alexandria, and Suez. Police fired tear gas at protesters, thus clashes erupted on the streets due to battles of tear gas. Unrest calmed and ended on 13 February. Seventy-three defendants, including nine police officers and two officials from Port Said's Al-Masry club, were charged in the aftermath of the riots. , 26 defendants were acquitted including seven police officers and an Al-Masry club official. Of the 47 convicted, 11 were sentenced to death, ten received 15-year prison terms, nine received 10-year sentences, sixteen received 5-year sentences including two police officers and an Al-Masry club official, and one received a 1-year sentence. The
Court of Cassation A court of cassation is a high-instance court that exists in some judicial systems. Courts of cassation do not re-examine the facts of a case, they only interpret the relevant law. In this they are appellate courts of the highest instance. In th ...
upheld the sentences on 20 February 2017. As a result of the massacre, the Egyptian government shut down the domestic league for two years, which affected the Egyptian national team.


Incident

The match kick-off was delayed thirty minutes because Al-Masry fans were on the pitch. During half-time and after each of the three second-half goals for Al-Masry, the club's supporters stormed the pitch, and at the conclusion of the match, thousands of spectators ran onto the playing field. Masry fans threw bottles and fireworks at Ahly players, who fled to their changing rooms under police protection. The Masry fans were armed with stones and some carried knives. In the ensuing melees, 74 people were killed. Some were stabbed and clubbed, while others were thrown off the stands or died in a
crowd crush Crowd collapses and crushes are catastrophic incidents that can occur when a body of people becomes dangerously overcrowded. When a body of people reaches or exceeds the density of , the pressure on each individual can cause the crowd to collapse ...
as they were trying to escape through a closed stadium gate in the back of the stands. Hisham Sheha, an official in the Egyptian health ministry, said the deaths were caused by stab wounds, brain hemorrhages, and concussions. Over 500 were injured. At least 47 people were arrested after the clashes, according to
Egyptian interior ministry The Ministry of Interior of Egypt is a part of the Cabinet of Egypt. It is responsible for law enforcement in Egypt. The Ministry of Interior directs the Central Security Forces, around 410,000 in 2012; the National Police, around 500,000; and ...
. Ahly coach
Manuel José Manuel José de Jesus Silva Order of Merit (Portugal), ComM (born 9 April 1946), simply known as Manuel José (), is a Portuguese association football, football Manager (association football), manager. Some of the teams he has coached include ...
was kicked and punched by Masry fans while attempting to return to his locker room. He was afterwards taken to a police station. Both José and
Mohamed Aboutrika Mohamed Mohamed Mohamed Aboutrika (Arabic language, Arabic: محمد محمد محمد أبوتريكة‎ (repeated three times); born 7 November 1978) is an Egyptian retired professional Association football, footballer who played as an Midfiel ...
reported that they witnessed Ahly fans die in the Ahly locker room. As an immediate reaction to the disaster, Aboutrika decided to retire from football, along with other Egyptian international football stars
Mohamed Barakat Mohamed Barakat Ahmed Bastamy ( ar, محمد بركات; born 7 September 1976) is a retired Egyptian footballer. A right-footed playmaker, Barakat usually played as an offensive right winger or attacking midfielder for Egyptian club Al Ahl ...
and
Emad Moteab Emad Mohamed Abdelnaby Ibrahim Moteab ( ar, عماد محمد عبد النبي إبراهيم متعب; born 20 February 1983) is an Egyptian semi-retired professional footballer who played as a striker. Career statistics International :Sourc ...
, while José seriously considered leaving Egypt and retiring from coaching football. Video footage appears to show that the police were unable or unwilling to contain the attackers. Eyewitnesses said that the police "did nothing to stop it", and "refused to open the closed gates" to allow the crowds to escape. The bureau chief of the
Voice of America Voice of America (VOA or VoA) is the state-owned news network and international radio broadcaster of the United States of America. It is the largest and oldest U.S.-funded international broadcaster. VOA produces digital, TV, and radio content ...
in Egypt received reports that police opened the barriers separating the Al-Ahly and Al-Masry supporters. Another witness said that many people were allowed into the stadium without tickets. ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' reported that a major factor in the riots was retaliation on the part of the authorities towards the
Ultras Ahlawy Ultras Ahlawy (UA07; ar, ألتراس أهلاوي) was an Egyptian ultras group that supported the Cairo-based Egyptian Premier League football club Al Ahly. It is the first Ultras group in Egypt. The group was founded in 2007 by former members ...
, who were actively involved in
Tahrir Square Tahrir Square ( ar, ميدان التحرير ', , English language, English: Liberation Square), also known as "Martyr Square", is a major public town square in downtown Cairo, Egypt. The square has been the location and focus for political dem ...
during the
2011 Egyptian revolution The 2011 Egyptian revolution, also known as the 25 January revolution ( ar, ثورة ٢٥ يناير; ), began on 25 January 2011 and spread across Egypt. The date was set by various youth groups to coincide with the annual Egyptian "Police ho ...
protests and during
Supreme Council of the Armed Forces The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF; ar, المجلس الأعلى للقوات المسلحة, ', also Higher Council of the Armed Forces) is a statutory body of between 20 and 25 senior Egyptian military officers and is headed by Fi ...
(SCAF) chairman
Mohamed Hussein Tantawi Mohamed Hussein Tantawi Soliman ( ar, محمد حسين طنطاوي سليمان, ; 31 October 1935 – 21 September 2021) was an Egyptian field marshal and politician. He was the commander-in-chief of the Egyptian Armed Forces and, as chairman ...
's rule, as they kept chanting anti-government revolutionary chants in almost all Ahly games in the Egyptian Premier League. Some of the
Al Ahly AL, Al, Ål or al may stand for: Arts and entertainment Fictional characters * Al (''Aladdin'') or Aladdin, the main character in Disney's ''Aladdin'' media * Al (''EastEnders''), a minor character in the British soap opera * Al (''Fullmetal ...
fans were killed in ambulances that carried them on the way to local hospitals. Al Masry fans armed with knives stopped ambulances on the way to hospitals and opened the ambulances doors and stabbed Al Ahly fans with the aim of killing them.


Reactions

The
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reported the Egyptian deputy health minister described it "the biggest disaster in the country's football history". The
Parliament of Egypt The Parliament of Egypt is the bicameral legislature of the Arab Republic of Egypt. It is composed of an upper house (the Senate) and a lower house (the House of Representatives). The Parliament is located in Cairo, Egypt's capital. Under t ...
called for an emergency session to be held on 2 February 2012 to discuss a response. A scheduled match between
Zamalek Zamalek ( ar, الزمالك , ''al zamalek'') is an affluent district of western Cairo encompassing the northern portion of Gezira Island in the Nile River. The island is connected with the river banks through three bridges each on the east ...
and
Ismaily Ismaily Sporting Club ( ar, نادي الإسماعيلي الرياضي) is an Egyptian professional football club, established on 20 March 1921 as El Nahda Sporting Club ( ar, جمعية نهضة الشباب المصري ) ( Egyptian pronunci ...
was cancelled due to the Port Said deaths. Subsequent matches of the 2011–12 Egyptian Premier League were postponed following the disaster. On 10 March 2012, the
Egyptian Football Association The Egyptian Football Association ( ar, الاتحاد المصري لكرة القدم) is the governing body of football in Egypt. A member of FIFA since 1923 and a founding member of CAF, the EFA has jurisdiction for the Egyptian football lea ...
announced the cancellation of the remainder of the season. 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 A national sports team (commonly known as a national team or a national side) is a team that represents a nation, rather than a particular club or region, in an international sport. The term is most commonly associated with team sports, for exa ...
was scheduled to compete in the
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and qualifiers for the
2013 Africa Cup of Nations The 2013 Africa Cup of Nations, also known as the Orange Africa Cup of Nations South Africa 2013 for sponsorship reasons, held from 19 January to 10 February 2013, was the 29th Africa Cup of Nations, the football championship of Africa organized ...
.
FIFA FIFA (; stands for ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' ( French), meaning International Association Football Federation ) is the international governing body of association football, beach football and futsal. It was found ...
President
Sepp Blatter Joseph "Sepp" Blatter (born Josef Blatter; 10 March 1936) is a Swiss former football administrator who served as the eighth President of FIFA from 1998 to 2015. He has been banned from participating in FIFA activities since 2015 as a result of ...
issued a statement that read: In an interview with British writer Islam Issa, Al-Masry's captain Karim Zekri and his brother, former Masry player Mohamed Zekri, said that the police, army, and ex-regime incited the massacre. They added that there were numerous factors suggesting that it was planned, including the lack of searching and ticket inspection outside the stadium, the floodlights switching off, the welding shut of the away stand's gate, and the arrival of thugs from outside. José also 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 Asphyxia or asphyxiation is a condition of deficient supply of oxygen to the body which arises from abnormal breathing. Asphyxia causes generalized hypoxia, which affects primarily the tissues and organs. There are many circumstances that can i ...
there. He criticized the police, saying that they were sitting down rather than facing the pitch, and did nothing to stop the repeated pitch invasions during the match. 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 said he wished 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.
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columnist Brent Latham described the riot as being politically motivated:


Alleged political involvement

Following the incident, anti-government political activists accused the ruling
Supreme Council of the Armed Forces The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF; ar, المجلس الأعلى للقوات المسلحة, ', also Higher Council of the Armed Forces) is a statutory body of between 20 and 25 senior Egyptian military officers and is headed by Fi ...
(SCAF) and remnants of the old regime still in positions of power, asserting that the events were of a "counter revolutionary" nature. Activists cited a rise in crime levels in the week leading up to the event as evidence that the violence had been organized (in Cairo and
Helwan Helwan ( ar, حلوان ', , cop, ϩⲁⲗⲟⲩⲁⲛ, Halouan) is a city in Egypt and part of Greater Cairo, on the bank of the Nile, opposite the ruins of Memphis. Originally a southern suburb of Cairo, it served as the capital of the now de ...
: two bank robberies and the heist of an armored vehicle transporting money. In
Sharm el-Sheikh Sharm El Sheikh ( ar, شرم الشيخ, ), commonly abbreviated to Sharm, is an Egyptian city on the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula, in South Sinai Governorate, on the coastal strip along the Red Sea. Its population is approximately 53,670 ...
: an armed robbery in a currency exchange led to the murder of a French tourist). The violence in Port Said took place on the eve of the first anniversary of what later became known as "the battle of the camel", 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 (
Hosni Mubarak Muhammad Hosni El Sayed Mubarak, (; 4 May 1928 – 25 February 2020) was an Egyptian politician and military officer who served as the fourth president of Egypt from 1981 to 2011. Before he entered politics, Mubarak was a career officer in t ...
, the Egyptian president at the time, having warned, in a televised speech on 1 February 2011, of "chaos" if he was to step down). People who attended the game stated that, in contrast with normal procedures, no security searches were conducted at the stadium entrances, allowing makeshift weapons to be smuggled in. Eyewitnesses claimed that the attending security personnel took no action to prevent or mitigate the clashes. There were other claims that the gates of the stadium were locked shut, trapping the minority Al-Ahly supporters inside. Al-Ahly ultras claim that they were specifically targeted given their vocal highly televised calls for the SCAF to step down, as well as their open mockery of the previous regime and the SCAF. The ultras were one of the largest organized bodies of resistance in street protests after the absence of the
Muslim Brotherhood The Society of the Muslim Brothers ( ar, جماعة الإخوان المسلمين'' ''), better known as the Muslim Brotherhood ( ', is a transnational Sunni Islamist organization founded in Egypt by Islamic scholar and schoolteacher Hassan ...
following parliamentary elections.


Trials

Seventy-three defendants, including nine police officers and two officials from Port Said's Al-Masry club, were charged in the killing of 72 Ahly football club fans. On 26 January 2013, Port Said Criminal Court, convening at the Police Academy in New Cairo for security reasons, issued preliminary death sentences to 21 defendants. A verdict against the other 52 defendants was postponed to 9 March 2013. There was an outburst of emotion from the families of the defendants when the judge announced the preliminary death sentences, requiring him to ask for order in the court several times. Some parents fainted from shock. The Ahly ultras celebrated the verdict by carrying out demonstrations praising the sentence in front of their club branch in
Zamalek Zamalek ( ar, الزمالك , ''al zamalek'') is an affluent district of western Cairo encompassing the northern portion of Gezira Island in the Nile River. The island is connected with the river banks through three bridges each on the east ...
and demanding the conviction of officers who were involved in the disaster. They then moved their demonstration to the Ministry of Interior headquarters to assert their demands of prosecuting the officers, resulting in clashes with the police who shot tear gas to disperse the protestors. The people of Port Said saw the verdict as a political decision rather than a fair trial. Several Port Said officials announced their condemnation on various TV channels. Some of the defendants' families and the Masry ultras gathered around the prison in Port Said while others went to block the main Mohamed Ali Street leading to the Port Said Governorate headquarters. A third group blocked the gates of a major textile industrial complex that employs about 20,000 workers. Amid the death sentence protests in Port Said, clashes erupted between pro-defendants' protestors and security forces near Port Said General Prison which left as many as two police officers and 40 civilians killed, and over 250 were injured. On 9 March 2013, the court confirmed the 21 death sentences issued on 26 January. Of the remaining 52 defendants, five received life sentences, ten received 15-year sentences including two police officers, the former Port Said security director Essam Samak and the head of the Port Said water bodies security department, Mohamed Saad. Six defendants received 10-year sentences, two received 5-year sentences, and one received a 1-year sentence. The remaining 28 defendants were acquitted including the other seven police officers charged. They included the former head of Port Said police investigation department, Mostafa Razaz, former head of the Central Security Forces in the Suez Canal area, Abdel-Aziz Sami, and former head of Port Said national security directorate, Bahy El-Din Zaghloul. The other four police officers were all aides to these senior officials. Also acquitted are the only two officials from Port Said's Al-Masry club who were charged – Major General Mohsen Sheta who was executive director of Al-Masry club at the time of the events, and former head of security at the club Mohamed El-Desouki. Both the defendants and the prosecution appealed the verdicts. On 6 February 2014, Egypt's Court of Cassation ordered the retrial of 64 defendants and rejected the appeals of nine defendants who were sentenced between 1 and 10 years in prison. On 19 April 2015, 11 defendants were issued preliminary death sentences in the retrial. The court postponed the verdict on the remaining 53 defendants. On 9 June 2015, the court confirmed the 11 death sentences and acquitted 21 defendants. Of the remaining 32 defendants, ten received 15-year sentences, nine received 10-year sentences, and thirteen received 5-year sentences including the two police officers who were initially sentenced to 15-years in prison, and one official from Port Said's Al-Masry club, Mohsen Sheta, who was previously acquitted. On 23 August 2015, the court upheld a death sentence issued in absentia to 1 defendant and acquitted 5 of 6 other defendants sentenced in absentia to 10-year prison terms. The remaining defendant had his 10-year sentence issued in absentia reduced to 5 years on 15 November 2015. On 20 February 2017, Egypt's Court of Cassation upheld final death sentences for 11 issued in 2015.


See also

* 2009 Egypt–Algeria World Cup Cairo clashes *
Football hooliganism Football hooliganism, also known as soccer hooliganism, football rioting or soccer rioting, constitutes violence and other destructive behaviours perpetrated by spectators at association football events. Football hooliganism normally involves ...
*
Politics and sports Politics and sports or sports diplomacy describes the use of sport as a means to influence diplomatic, social, and political relations. Sports diplomacy may transcend cultural differences and bring people together. The use of sports and politics ...


References

{{Al-Ahly S.C. Egyptian revolution of 2011 2012–13 in Egyptian football 2012 riots Al-Masry SC matches Al Ahly SC matches Association football hooliganism Human stampedes in 2012 Port Said Riots and civil disorder in Egypt Association football riots Stadium disasters Egyptian Crisis (2011–2014) February 2012 events in Africa Man-made disasters in Egypt Massacres in 2012 Massacres in Egypt 2012 disasters in Egypt