14 dead in Egypt police clashes with football fans

CAIRO: Fourteen people were killed Sunday in clashes between Egyptian police and football fans at a Cairo stadium, state media reported, in the country's deadliest sports violence since dozens died at a match in 2012.

The agency quoted the state prosecution as saying 14 bodies of those killed in the clashes had been taken to a morgue.

The health ministry had initially said that three people died in the violence, which was sparked when fans tried to force their way into the venue to watch a game.

The match between Zamalek and Enbi was open to the public, unlike most other games between Egyptian football clubs since deadly stadium riots in Port Said in 2012.

But the interior ministry had restricted to 10,000 the number of spectators allowed into the stadium, and tickets quickly ran out.

Angry members of the Ultra White Knights, a group of hardcore Zamalek fans, tried to force their way into the stadium, police said.

Police fired tear gas to disperse them, before the Zamalek supporters let off fireworks, police and witnesses said.

In February 2012, more than 70 people were killed and hundreds injured in post-match violence following a game in Port Said between Cairo's Al-Ahly and Al-Masry.

The riots were considered the deadliest in Egypt's sports history.