Port Said riot sentences anger rival fans in Egypt

Rival football fans in Egypt have been protesting angrily over sentences handed down over deadly riots at a match in Port Said in February 2012.

Saturday, March 09, 2013
The Egyptian football federation was set alight in Cairo. Net photo

Rival football fans in Egypt have been protesting angrily over sentences handed down over deadly riots at a match in Port Said in February 2012. The court upheld 21 death sentences and handed down prison terms to other defendants over the violence, which claimed 74 lives. Most victims were supporters of a Cairo team, and fans there criticised the sentencing for not going far enough. In Port Said, fans of the local team accused the court of unfairness.Many people believe police in the city stood by during the rioting in revenge for the role of football supporters in the unrest which toppled Hosni Mubarak as president a year before. Police deny the accusation. Ahead of Saturday’s sentencing, the army assumed policing in Port Said, which saw new, deadly unrest last week.