Six years after Port Said disaster, Egyptians look forward to attending football games again
The Egyptian Sport Minister will lift a six-year ban on sports fans attending football games at the start of next month.
The announcement comes more than six years after a deadly riot broke out inside Port Said stadium, leading to the deaths of 73 supporters of Egypt’s top team Al Ahly.
The Sports Ministry has agreed to allow 5,000 fans to watch local matches and 20,000 for international games.
“Everyone is looking forward to the public’s return to the stands once again, so they can attend their matches and encourage their teams in the appropriate manner,” said the minister, Ashraf Sobhy.
One Egyptian football fan told the BBC he was very excited but hoped that a better security system would be put in place.
“Every crisis that takes place the easiest option is to ban the fans,” Abu Bakr said.
“The security is not really the fans’ fault, but the fans get punished every time something happens. There’s no system in place.”
The Port Said stadium disaster in 2012 is still regarded as the country’s most violent football riot.
Panicked supporters tried to flee the stadium, crushing and injuring 1,000 people. Eleven men were sentenced to death for their role in the riot.
Ten were sentenced to jail for 15 years, and 14 received sentences of 10 years in prison.
The violence is believed to have started when banners insulting the local team angered supporters, sparking clashes between the two sides.
Initially, Egypt introduced new regulations limiting the number of people allowed to attend games. Some supporters responded by storming stadiums, resulting in injuries.
New rules will allow 5,000 fans to watch local games and 20,000 to watch international matches