Clashes broke between Cairo club Al Ahli and local club Al Masri leaving 74 people dead and hundreds injured. Television footage showed players running from the pitch chased by Al Masri fans.
The violence flared after Al-Ahly, one of Egypt's most successful teams, was beaten 3-1. A small group of riot police tried to protect the players, but appeared to be overwhelmed and unable to stop fans attacking players.
Violence linked to politics.
One al-Ahly supporter outside the club, Khaled Gad, told the Guardian: "There is a strong political connection. What happened today was not just about trouble at a football match, it's related to other events in the country."
Another fan, Mahmoud Kamel, said, "Where was the security? And where were the clubs and governorate representatives who always attend this game. This is a huge rivalry and they're always in attendance, but they weren't this time."He insisted that the cause of the catastrophe was the chant against Scaf rule by al-Ahly's group of supporters known as the Ultras at a previous game. The Ultras of al-Ahly and arch-rival Zamalek played prominent roles in the 18-day uprising that spelled the end of Mubarak's rule and the violence raised fresh concerns about the ability of the state police to manage crowds.
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