Fans will be allowed to attend Egypt Cup: Sports minister

Ahram Online , Tuesday 6 Feb 2018

fans
File photo: Ahly fans during the CAF Champions League - Semi-Final - vs Etoile du Sahel of Tunisia - Borg El Arab Stadium, Alexandria, Egypt - October 22, 2017 (Reuters)

Egypt's Sports Minister Khaled Abdel-Aziz said on Tuesday that fans will be allowed to attend Egypt Cup games, a move that will end the five-year ban on crowds at domestic football matches.

"The Egypt Cup quarters will witness the return of the fans to the stands," Khaled Abdel-Aziz told a radio station on Tuesday.

Football fans have been banned from domestic league in Egypt since February 2012 when 72 Ahly supporters died in clashes between fans at Port Said stadium.

The crowd ban was briefly lifted in January 2015 but immediately reimposed after 20 Zamalek fans died in a stampede after police used tear gas to disperse crowds lined up to attend a regular league game against Enppi.

In the past five years, authorities have permitted a limited number of fans to attend African championship games and national team matches, as per FIFA rules.

The Egyptian football Association (EFA) is yet to decide the date of the remaining Egypt Cup games.

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