Port Said Stadium riot
| Port Said Stadium riot | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date | 1 February 2012 | ||
| Location | Port Said Stadium, Port Said, Egypt 31°16′16″N 32°17′30″E / 31.27111°N 32.29167°E | ||
| Caused by |
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| Methods | Rioting, stoning, stabbing | ||
| Resulted in | Further unrest continues in Cairo, Alexandria, and Suez until 11 February | ||
| Number | |||
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| Casualties | |||
| Death(s) | 74
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| Injuries | 500+ | ||
| Charged | 73 (47 convictions)
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The Port Said Stadium riot was a riot which occurred at Port Said Stadium in Port Said, Egypt on 1 February 2012, following an Egyptian Premier League football match between Al Masry and Al Ahly. Seventy-four people were killed and more than 500 injured after thousands of Al Masry fans invaded the pitch following a 3–1 victory by their club. Al Ahly fans were attacked using clubs, stones, machetes, knives, bottles, and fireworks, trapping them inside the Al Ahly partition of the stadium. Many of the deaths were due to police refusal to open the stadium gates, trapping fans inside and causing a stampede. Civil unrest and clashes with police erupted in several major cities, such as Cairo, Alexandria, and Suez, in response to police's handling of the riot.
Seventy-three defendants, including nine police officers and two officials from Port Said's Al-Masry club, were charged in the aftermath of the riots. As of 15 November 2015, 26 defendants were acquitted, including seven police officers and an Al-Masry club official. Of the 47 convicted, 11 were sentenced to death, ten received 15-year prison terms, nine received 10-year sentences, sixteen received 5-year sentences, including two police officers and an Al-Masry club official, and one received a 1-year sentence. The Court of Cassation upheld the sentences on 20 February 2017.
As a result of the riot, the Egyptian government shut down the domestic league for two years, which affected the Egyptian national team.