The Qasr Al-Nil prosecution referred 15 Ultras Ahlawy members to trial on Sunday.
While the 15 will face trial on Tuesday, four other Ultras members will attend a session to determine whether their detention will be renewed.
The members are charged with inciting riots, chaos, and attempting to break into Al-Ahly SC headquarters, according to state-run newspaper Akhbar Al-Youm.
The 19 defendants were arrested on Friday, in addition to another 27 defendants who were released after being detained for four days, pending investigations.
The members were detained after Al-Ahly SC headquarters was stormed amid demands to attend a handball match between Al-Jazeerah and Al-Ahly. The match had been scheduled to be played without fans or spectators in the stands, Akhbar Al-Youm reported.
The Ultras Ahlawy group released a statement Monday condemning the Ministry of Interior and describing the charges as a “comedy”. The group clarified that handball games are usually attended by spectators and that there has been no official decision to do otherwise.
“Al-Ahly fans always attend those matches, after coordinating with the head of the Egyptian Handball Federation. As so, if there were a problem with fans’ attendance then it is not them who should be blamed, but rather the problem lies with the federation, the club’s administration, or security personnel,” the statement said.
The group tried to explain that the accusations against their members of breaking into the club are inaccurate as there is a discrepancy between the club, the federation, and the Interior Ministry on whether spectators should be allowed to attend.
“Don’t come claiming that the club did not want us when the organisation allowed public attendance,” the statement said. Moreover, the group denied accusations that the detained members assaulted security forces, stating that there was not a single police or medical report confirming such claims.
