Few minutes before the final whistle, television cameras caught police forces using night sticks to beat up and chase the Ultras Ahly fans, who rushed to the stadium tunnels for an escape route.
The reasons for that clash were not immediately clear but widespread reports said the police personnel reacted after the fans hurled insults at the interior ministry, former interior minister Habib El-Adly and ousted president Hosni Mubarak.
“The police forces were provoked by the fans, who were chanting offensive slogans against them,” an interior ministry official said.
“They threw fireworks and ripped out some seats before throwing them at the policemen, 45 of whom were injured. The police had to intervene to save public property.”
Egyptian Football Association (EFA) member Magdy Abdel-Ghany criticized the ultras for what he perceived as “unacceptable behavior”.
“Insults are never justified,” he said while giving his post-match analysis to Modern Sport.
“There are no reasons to insult the former minister or the current minister. We should concentrate solely on football.”
Some Ultras Ahlawy members said they acted in self-defense after police attacked them for chanting offensive songs against Mubarak and his entourage. They denied attacking incumbent interior minister Mansour Essawy.
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