Egyptian Football Violence in Port Said

At least 73 people have been killed in Port Said, Egypt. The death count is not final and more than 1,000 people have been injured, most with head wounds.

Is this the latest military vs. street marchers violence in post-Mubarak Egypt? Not sure - yet.

The riot and violence took place in a football stadium at Port Said, where the local team staged a real upset by beating the visiting Cairo team. The referee blew the end of the match and it has been reported that fans of the Port Said team descended onto the field of play, throwing bottles and stones at Cairo team members and supporters. Gunfire was also reported along the route leading from Port Said to Cairo.  

Meanwhile, a fire broke out at the Cairo football stadium, forcing Egyptian Football Federation officials to cancel the match that was to have taken place there this evening.

Medical sources say that many in Port Said were killed with knives or blows to the head. Ambulances are still carrying victims from the stadium to the Port Said hospital.

It is still very uncertain exactly what precipitated the violence, but the casualty toll makes this football match one of the most murderous matches of all time. The Muslim Brotherhood has already declared that the killing is the planned work of pro-Mubarak Egyptians bent on sending the message that the new Brotherhood-led parliament will not be accepted, according to the parliamentary spokesman for the Brotherhood, Essam al-Erian, and published on the website of the political arm of the Brotherhood, the Party of Liberty and Justice (PLJ).

Al-Erian also said that the PLJ will demand that the Minister of the Interior assume responsibility for the violence. Another PLJ parliamentary deputy called for the dismissal of the Minister of the Interior, as well as for the dismissal of the governor and security chief of the Port Said region.

The supreme military council, which has ruled Egypt since the ouster of Mubarak, sent helicopters to evacuate Cairo players, the injured and other Cairo fans from Port Said.

The Egyptian Attorney General has already called for a full investigation of the events in Port Said.

The Egyptian parliament will hold a special session tomorrow to discuss the Port Said situation.

Civil security has deteriorated since the collapse of the Mubarak regime last February, with armed robberies and automobile thefts on the rise. Many express the opinion that the Egyptian army has not performed its security function as it should because it is still at least partially loyal to Mubarak.

Dear readers, this unusual football violence is not a welcome sign, either for the public security of Egypt or for the international football program. There are already worries about the probable safety level in Brazil at the next Football World Cup, and England is treating this summer’s London Olympic Games as if they were a military exercise.

What is clear is that protecting football players, officials and fans during matches is not easy. The stadiums are open, fans in the thousands enter the stadiums with only minor security checks possible because of their numbers and the timing of entry before matches, and football attracts people who are loud supporters but largely peaceful. Trying to sort out troublemakers from the general fan mix would be a real challenge. English football succeeded after hooligan violence in the 1980s, but today’s environment is immensely different in many parts of the world.

I, for one, hope that the beautiful game will not be spoiled by thugs and terrorists who think they can make their political point be bullying football fans and federations around the world.