19 Killed In Egypt Stadium Violence

Nineteen people were killed in clashes between football fans and security forces outside a football stadium in Cairo, Egypt’s state-owned Al-Ahram announced late Sunday.

The clashes broke out ahead of a game between Zamalek and Enppi football clubs.

Prosecutor General Hisham Barakat ordered conducting an autopsy on each of those killed Sunday night, he said in a statement released by his office .

According to the ministry of interior, large numbers of Zamalek fans attempted to storm the stadium. The ministry added that security forces responded by trying to prevent assaults on stadium facilities.

The prosecutor general’s statement reiterated the same version of events, accusing the football fans of blocking a road and torching two police cars.

Meanwhile, “Ultras White Knights” group, which supports the Zamalek Sporting Club, said on its Facebook page that the police “initiated firing teargas towards fans” outside the stadium, adding that many people have fainted and experienced suffocation.

Ahmed Sourab, Nasr City’s top prosecutor, told Aswat Masriya that initial investigations revealed that a stampede among Ultras White Knights was the cause of the deaths which occurred.

The game was eventually played, almost 40 minutes after its scheduled start time.

The Interior Ministry allowed football fans to attend the Egyptian Premier League games towards the end of 2014. The games were held in the absence of any fans since over 70 football fans were killed in the Port Said Stadium following a game in February 2012.

This is the first football game for Zamalek club where football fans were allowed to attend since February 2012.

Tensions often arise between Ultras groups and security forces securing games.