(AFP File Photo)
Clashes between police and Ultras Ahlawy on Thursday night left 24 people injured, the Ministry of Health announced on Friday.
Two of the injured were discharged and 22 remain under treatment and observation, the ministry said in a statement.
Ultras Ahlawy is a group of football fans who support Al-Ahly football club, which beat Tunisian club Sfaxien 3-2, and won the Confederation of African Football Super Cup in Cairo’s International Stadium on Thursday night.
The ministry said that after the celebratory ceremonies, a group of fans began chanting against the police and hurling water bottles, fireworks and stadium seats at security forces.
Security forces “evacuated the stands and while they [the fans] left, they torched a police car and two other cars and several trees surrounding the stadium,” the Ministry of Interior said in a statement. It said that 25 policemen were injured as a result of the clashes.
Some 30,000 fans attended the game on Thursday. The interior ministry said that it is reconsidering allowing fans to attend football matches.
According to state-run Al-Ahram, Egyptian authorities recently lifted a crowd ban on African competitions, but have kept it in place for domestic games.
The Egyptian Premier League kicked off in December, with matches being played without spectators.
The Ministry of Interior said several rioters were arrested. A team from the prosecution was tasked with inspecting the stadium and another team was tasked with questioning injured policemen.
