Egyptians blame military for deadly soccer riot

By The Associated Press

Posted: February 2, 2012 at 11:17 a.m.

Mohammed Asad
Credit: AP
Mourners carry the body of a victim of clashes at a soccer stadium outside a morgue in Cairo, Egypt, Thursday, Feb. 2, 2012.

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CAIRO, Egypt — Many Egyptians on Thursday blamed the police and the country’s ruling military for failing to prevent the rioting the night before in the Mediterranean coastal city of Port Said.

Prime Minister Kamal el-Ganzouri, in an emergency parliamentary session, announced he had dissolved the Egyptian Soccer Federation’s board and referred its members for questioning by prosecutors about the violence. He also said the governor of Port Said province and the area’s police chief have resigned.

Survivors and witnesses revealed more details about Wednesday’s rioting that resulted in the deaths of 74 people.

They said a narrow stadium exit turned into a death trap. Crowds of Egyptian soccer fans fleeing supporters of the opposing team armed with knives, clubs and stones rushed into the corridor, only to be crushed against a locked gate, their rivals attacking from behind, survivors and witnesses said.

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