On Feb. 3, the death toll stood at 79, according to CNN, in the aftermath of the Feb. 1 rioting that erupted in Port Said, Egypt immediately following a soccer game between Al-Ahly, a visiting team from Cairo, and the home team, Al-Masry. Those in attendance described the mayhem and carnage as Al-Masry supporters stormed the field after the team’s 3-1 victory. “Officers refused to open the gates of the stadium, so we could not escape and had to face thousands of Al-Masry hooligans attacking with rocks, knives, swords, and anything else you can imagine,” said one witness to CNN.
Witnesses said some people were suffocated and trampled while others were beaten or stabbed. Fans of the Al-Ahly team, commonly referred to as Ultras, say they were left to fend for themselves in retaliation for sparking the revolution that ousted Hosni Mubarak last year.
“We tried to save the lives of some of the fans, but many died before our eyes,” said Al-Ahly assistant coach, Pedro Barny to the BBC.
Unrest continued Feb. 2 in other cities around the country as residents vented their frustration at police inaction that allowed violence within the stadium to escalate out of control.
CNN reported that unrest lead to more violent clashes in Cairo and Suez. An estimated 10,000 people marched to the Cairo headquarters of the Interior Ministry Feb. 2 where clashes with police left 900 persons injured. And in Suez disorders left two more dead.
Demonstrators in the Cairo march called for the resignation of Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi. Dissatisfied with the management by the military which took charge after Mubarak stepped down, CBS News reported, protesters chanted, “We dreamed of change. They fooled us and brought us a field marshal instead.”
