Egypt in mourning after stadium disaster

Three days of national mourning have been declared after at least 74 people died, and hundreds more were injured, in clashes between football fans after a match between rival clubs al-Masry and al-Ahly in the Egyptian Premier League.

The mourning was declared by the national authorities and emergency meetings of the cabinet and parliament have been called, while all top-tier Egyptian matches have been postponed indefinitely.

Wednesday's violence broke out at the end of the match, which underdogs al-Masry won 3-1.

According to media reports, the atmosphere had been tense throughout the match ever since an al-Ahly fan raised a banner insulting supporters of the home team.

As the match ended, their fans flooded onto the pitch attacking al-Ahly players and fans. A small group of riot police tried to protect the players, but they were overwhelmed and part of the stadium was set on fire.

Officials say most of the deaths were caused by concussions, deep cuts to the heads and suffocation from the stampede.

FIFA president Sepp Blatter issued a statement, expressing his shock over the Port Said incident.

‘This is a black day for football. Such a catastrophic situation is unimaginable and should not happen,’ he said.

Source: http://www.sportindustry.biz/news/view/10762/egypt-in-mourning-after-stadium-disaster