February 7 – Egypt’s Court of Cassation has ordered a re-trial of 21 people sentenced to death in connection with the infamous February, 2012, Port Said riot in which more than 70 spectators died, causing two successive league seasons to be called off and plunging the sport into chaos.
Many spectators were crushed when panicked crowds tried to escape from the stadium after clashes between rival al-Ahly and al-Masri fans. Others were reportedly thrown from the terraces.
The defendants had their sentences upheld by a lower court last March. But the Court of Cassation has now accepted their appeal. Another 52 defendants in the case had already had their verdicts postponed after state prosecutors submitted fresh evidence.
Al Ahly fans accused Egypt’s interior ministry and police force of deliberately causing the disaster in revenge for their role in toppling former President Hosni Mubarak in 2011.
Football and politics are often intrinsically linked in Egypt and, last month, FIFA warned that government interference in Egyptian football put the country at grave risk of being banned.
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