Egypt is still in a state of unrest. And Thursday it only took an upset-win in a soccer match to set off a storm of violence that swept through the area surrounding the stadium.
In Egypt, the Interior Ministry said 74 people died, including one police officer, and 248 were injured, 14 of them police in the violence that erupted after Al-Masry’s 3-1 home victory against Al-Ahly in the Egyptian Premier League.
And according to reports. riot police didn’t attempt to offer any resistance. It led to the deadliest melee of soccer violence since 1996, according to The Associated Press.
One player even said it felt “like a war.”
This from the Assocaited Press report from Sara El Deeb:
The tension also spread to the nearby Suez province. About 500 protesters, including soccer fans and activists, gathered outside the main police headquarters to protest what they called police negligence.
A local health official initially said 1,000 people were injured and it was not clear how severely. Security forces arrested 47 people for involvement in the violence, the statement said.
The last time the soccer world dealt with this kind of violence was Oct. 16, 1996 when a riot, and stampede began in Guatemala Stadium before a game between Guatemala and Costa Rice when 78 people died.
Already embroiled FIFA President, Sepp Blatter, said he was “shocked and saddened” by the deaths.
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