PORT SAID – THREE days of national mourning have been declared by the authorities in Egypt after at least 74 people died in clashes between rival football fans in the city of Port Said.Hundreds more were injured as fans invaded the pitch after a match between top-tier clubs al-Masry and al-Ahly. Emergency meetings of the cabinet and parliament have been called.One al-Ahly fan yesterday told the BBC that fans would march from the al-Ahly’s club in Cairo to the Interior Ministry.“People are angry at the regime more than anything else... People are really angry, you could see the rage in their eyes,” Mohammed Abdel Hamid said.Wednesday’s violence broke out at the end of the match, which, unusually, Port Said club al-Masry won 3-1.Witnesses said the atmosphere had been tense throughout the match - since an al-Ahly fan raised a banner insulting supporters of the home team.As the match ended, their fans flooded onto the pitch attacking al-Ahly players and fans.A small group of riot police tried to protect the players, but were overwhelmed. Part of the stadium was set on fire.‘Black day’Officials say most of the deaths were caused by concussions, deep cuts to the heads and suffocation from a stampede as people tried to leave the stadium.“This is not football. This is a war and people are dying in front of us,” al-Ahly player Mohamed Abo Treika said.“I cannot believe these things happened randomly, I don’t think so, it was arranged,” Al-Ahly official Hanan Zeini told the BBC.Meanwhile, the Muslim Brotherhood - which has emerged as Egypt’s biggest party in recent elections - blamed supporters of ousted President Hosni Mubarak for the violence.“The events in Port Said are planned and are a message from the remnants of the former regime,” Muslim Brotherhood lawmaker Essam al-Erian said.Hani Seddik, former al-Ahly player: “I think it’s more like some people were planning it”In Cairo, another match was halted by the referee after news of the Port Said violence.It prompted fans to set parts of the stadium on fire, though no casualties were reported and the fire was quickly extinguished.All Egyptian premier-league matches have been cancelled.
