By Andrew Warshaw
February 16 – Egypt’s Premier League is set to resume in the wake of the fatal stampede earlier this month that left at least 20 fans dead but there is some confusion as to the exact date matches will start again.
Egyptian Football Association spokesman Mahmoud Al-Shamy told a news conference on Sunday that games would resume this Thursday (February 19) but Egyptian Prime Minister Ibrahim Mahlab, whose cabinet initially suspended the league indefinitely, says it will take two weeks before the suspension is lifted and fixtures can commence again, albeit behind closed doors.
“We will hold a meeting with the Egyptian Football Association to announce the return of Premier League games which will be in two weeks,” Mahlab was quoted as saying during an interview with a TV channel in Dubai as the various factions continued to blame each other for the appalling tragedy.
The deaths occurred when fans were crushed in a stampede after police clashed with Zamalek supporters attempting to get into the stadium for a key derby against Cairo rivals ENPPI.
It was the first top-flight fixture open to the public in over two years following the deadliest incident in Egypt’s sporting history when more than 70 al-Ahly fans were killed in the Port Said riot of February 2012.
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