Live Al Ahly vs EL Masry | Egyptian Premier League 2015
Venue: El-Gouna Stadium | Date and time: 10 Jan 2015 – 14:30 (Cairo Local Time)
Live right here on Nilesports.com
Ahly vs Masry clash for first time since Port Said football tragedy.
A bitter taste remains in the mouth of rival fans as foes Ahly and Masry face off in their first clash since Egypt’s worst-ever football disaster in 2012, which sent shockwaves across the country and led to unfortunate consequences.
Both sides lock horns in the calm Red Sea resort of El-Gouna behind closed doors in the Egyptian Premier League on Saturday, with tensions still running high among both sets of supporters.
Ahly’s hardcore supporters (Ultras Ahlawy) are still incensed after a court ordered the retrial of the defendants in the infamous Port Said case last year, including 21 people who were sentenced to death for killing rival Ahly supporters in the coastal city.
More than 70 people – all Ahly fans – were killed after a pitch invasion by Masry’s supporters following the end of an ill-tempered Premier League game on 1 February 2012.
Masry’s fans believe they were made scapegoats by the authorities, who are also accused by the Ahly supporters of orchestrating the carnage to punish them for their role in the 2011 revolution that ousted autocratic leader Hosni Mubarak.
The 2011-2012 league season was called off after the tragedy and the following three seasons were held in an unfamiliar two-group format as Ahly and Masry were deliberately separated. Two of those seasons were also cancelled due to political turmoil.
Masry have been banned from playing on their home soil since the Port Said disaster and they are forced to hold their home and away games this term in neighboring Ismailia.
However, due to the hostile environment Ahly usually face in Suez Canal cities, Saturday’s match will take place in the luxury El-Gouna resort, whose officials initially voiced concerns that such a game could have a bearing on tourism there.
