Egyptian Football Riot: army locked visiting Ahly fans in the stadium and let Masry supporters attack
WHAT happened at the Egyptian football match that ended in 75 dead and scores badly hurt?
Blogger @Heemalization writes:
From day one we’re trying to calm people down, and we knew a problem would happen. We kept repeating that we made a statement and this time is too critical for any of that; and many of the older members of the UA07 (Ahly Ultras) were telling the younger ones to maintain self control.
Out train was thrown by rocks in Ismailia and that we were used to. It is the norm for the train or bus to be attacked when it is on its way from one province to another. The train broke down so we went down in a train station in “Al Cap” before Port Said in order to ride buses that will take us to Port Said because we knew that they prepared an ambush for us at the train station.
Read on:
We got to Port Said from the buses entrance area and the rock throwing on the buses hasn’t stopped all the way to the stadium. All of this was still very normal and happens whenever we travel.
On our way into the stadium we heard that the “Masry” (Port Said team) fans attacked the Ahly players’ bus and injured Said Muawad with fireworks. In the first half of the match both parties (Ahly Ultras) and (Masry fans) were chanting hostile slogans as usual and then they started exchanging fireworks.
We started seeing “Masry” fans break into the stadium very easily from many sides of it; it increased after the first half of the game and they threw missiles at us. The only thing the police did was take them away without arresting any of those that the missiles on the “Ahly” fans. The missiles kept coming our way throughout the whole second half.
The moment the referee whistled to declare the ending of the game, the pitch was attacked in a very bizarre way from two sides; one towards the players to hit them and the other towards the “Ahly” fans in the bleachers. At this very same moment the lights went off and the stadium turned black, at that time there were two CSF security cordons along the “Ahly” bleachers and all of a sudden the cordon was opened for the “Masry” fans to go up the bleachers and attack the “Ahly” fans.
They went from the bleachers’ bottom doors that were open and went up very easily in huge numbers; not less than 2000/3000. We were in shock that the police let them do that very easily and that such large numbers are attacking us! Usually it would be swearing, fireworks and rock-throwing; it is what we do in football but that is it!
The people attacking us were armed with batons, knives, rocks, glass, fireworks and all kinds of weapons that would be used in more than a football trouble.
When we saw these numbers we knew we wouldn’t be able to deal with all of them; so we started running towards the hallways that take us to the doors in order to exit the stadium. These hallways should’ve been opened for us to leave but they were closed by the army from the outside. The area between the doors of these hallways and the main exit gates had army soldiers and we were locked in. Not even able to escape. We were Besieged in the hallway and we had two choices; either die inside or outside because even if were able to make it outside the people of Port Said were waiting for us there at the main gate.
90% of the “Ahly” fans were crammed in the 6*6*10 meter; they were crammed layers on top of each other and there is no other exit and from the other side the “Masry” fans beating up everyone in their way, even the ones that fell that entirely taking place on our bleachers. It wasn’t only hitting, no. It was hitting and stealing especially phones, money and the UA07 shirts and the numbers of people in the hallways kept increasing.
Although, not everyone went down into that hallway, some people tried to jump over the fence either because they were pushed or scared. The door of the hallways fell because of all the pushing and many as people started coming out a lot of stampeding and running over others was taking place. A group went to the players’ locker room and I saw a dead man before my eyes. The people started saving each other because there was no ambulance; everyone was eventually out after about an hour.
The fool was basically made up of shoes, bags, batons, t-shirts and the fiber ceiling of the hallway was broken and fell. The interference of the CSF started taking place after 20 minutes of the riots’ start after people were already dead and after “Masry” fans started running away. After all that the army started shooting in the air on the outside in order to disperse the “Masry” fans that were waiting outside for the “Ahly” fans to come out.
Most injuries are fractures, wounds and burns from the rocks, glass and fireworks and many suffocation cases most of it being deaths.
What happened today is either planned or has been facilitated, there is no other scenario it was a lot more than just football troubles that all the Ultras and football fans know about. What I saw today was worse than what I saw in Mohammed Mahmoud, all that happened was above anyone’s imagination.
On our way back in the train people were insisting that what happened was planned and the unharmed of us was chanting at every station against the police.
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An Egyptian policeman helps an injured football fan during clashes at the football stadium in Port Said, Egypt Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2012. Dozens of Egyptian soccer fans were killed Wednesday in violence following a soccer match in Port Said, when fans flooded the field seconds after a match against a rival team was over, Egypt's Health ministry said. (AP Photo/Ahmed Hassan)
Posted: 2nd, February 2012 | In: Sports Comment (1) | TrackBack | Permalink
