(Photo By: Mohamed Omar)
The Egyptian Football Association (EFA) announced on Sunday that the football league would resume despite the association’s headquarters being set on fire last Saturday.
Angry protesters stormed the Police Club and the EFA’s headquarters, located near the club, and set the buildings on fire.
The association then announced it was suspending football-related activities until further notice following the turmoil that left its offices in flames.
The attacks happened as a reaction to the verdict in the Port Said massacre trial which some of the Ultras felt was unsatisfactory.
The court sentenced 21 Port Said residents to death, the city’s former chief of police to 15 years of hard labour and a low ranking police officer to 10 years. Several other defendants received sentences ranging from five years to life in prison but none were policemen.
The defendants were on trial for their role in the Port Said stadium football massacre where 74 Al-Ahly fans were killed.
Protesters attacked the Police Club in Cairo, expressing anger over what they perceive as the court’s leniency with security officers on trial whom they accuse of complicity in the massacre, through failing to protect their fellow supporters and welding the stadium gates shut.
They also attacked the EFA building and set it on fire, blaming the association for not dealing out a severe enough punishment to Al-Masry football club of Port Said and its fans as well as resuming football activities before “justice for the martyrs” was realised.
The EFA suspended all football activities on Saturday in response to the attack but released a statement on Sunday reversing the suspension. Association board members met at an alternative location and voted to resume the league.
Al-Ahly will host ENPPI on Sunday, resuming the Egyptian Premier League. The football association said it had no intention of suspending or postponing the match and that it still reserved taking legal action against those who attacked its building.
