Egypt's worst football disaster left 74 fans killed and hundreds injured (Photo: Ahram)
The Egyptian Football Association (EFA) on Wednesday said that those responsible for last month's Port Said disaster must be brought to justice if Premier League activities are to resume.
All domestic football activities have been suspended since Egypt’s worst-ever football disaster left 74 fans killed following a 1 February league match between rival teams Masry and Ahly.
Premier League activities face an uncertain future amid a heated debate over whether the EFA is entitled to resume them.
“The EFA is demanding that football activities be quickly resumed, but on the condition that those indicted for the Port Said disaster are put on trial,” the EFA said in a statement on its official website following a meeting with chairmen of Premier League clubs.
Kamel Abou-Ali and Hassan Hamdy, respective chairmen of Masry and Ahly, did not attend the meeting, which sought to reach a way out of the current impasse.
League clubs have also authorised the EFA’s interim board of directors, which took over following the resignation of former chairman Samir Zaher, to take the appropriate measures regarding the Port Said violence.
Masry are widely expected to face heavy penalties, with some football figures and pundits calling on the EFA to relegate the team to a lesser division.
(For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter: @AO Sports)
Short link: