Egypt murder charges over Port Said football riot

75 people, among them, 9 are police officers, were charged with either murder or negligence following a riot due to a heated football match in Port Said, Egypt. The riot broke out on February 1st between fans of top-tier clubs al-Masry and al-Ahly and was among the worst seen in football history with at least 74 people killed.

The two teams are long-standing rivals, and their games have often been tense, requiring a large security presence.

Al-Masry, the Port Said home team, won the game 3-1, but as the match came to an end, their fans began attacking al-Ahly players and fans. There were even claims that fans had been allowed to take knives and other weapons into the arena. The football league season was actually cancelled in the wake of the unrest and has not yet restarted.

In the days following the riot, large protests blaming the military government for the deaths were held in Cairo; many Egyptians believe the authorities either orchestrated the violence or at the very least allowed it to continue, probably due to the al-Ahly fans' support of the revolution which overthrew Hosni Mubarak last year.

I feel like if so-called "large security presence" is going to be enforced, but "knives and other weapons" are still allowed  into the match, no security would have a similar effect on the outcome of this miserable event.

"BBC News - Egypt murder charges over Port Said football riot." BBC - Homepage. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-17382442 (accessed March 15, 2012).