Injured players were forced to refuge in their changing room after being attacked in the mayhem which followed a pitch invasion in the Egyptian city of Port Said.
At least 74 people were killed and over 1,000 others injured when football fans ran riot at a game between home side al Masry and bitter rivals Al Ahli. Despite losing, the Al Ahli team was chased by home fans, some being hit by stones and bottles. The two sides have a history of bitter rivalry - witnesses say the fighting began after Ahli fans unfurled banners insulting Port Said. The subsequent pitch invasion provoked panic among the crowd as fans on both sides fought. Most of the deaths where among people who were trampled in the crush as they tried to get out of the way or who fell from the terraces. When news of the trouble spread to Cairo the referee at another match stopped the game to prevent any copycat violence. But his actions prompted fans there to set fire to the stadium. The chief of Egypt's military council, Field Marshal Tantawi has vowed to catch the culprits while the newly elected parliament is to hold an emergency session.
Source: Euronews
