This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.
Cairo derby and riots to be discussed by interior minister Egypt's interior minister will meet with the Egyptian Football Association on Thursday to discuss certain important issues regarding sports in the country amid security concerns
The Cairo derby between arch-rivals Ahly and Zamalek may be held as scheduled on 29 June as the matter will be discussed Thursday at the Egyptian Football Association (EFA) with the interior minister amid the country's current security concerns. “Egypt's interior minister will meet with the EFA board and clubs presidents Thursday to discuss some important issues regarding the country's sports given the current circumstances,” EFA 's official website stated. The Cairo derby is the most popular match in Egypt and may be the possible title-decider of the Egyptian Premier League this season as the two Cairo-based clubs are level in points, 49, after 24 rounds. Last month EFA spokesman Azmy Megahed announced that “Cairo Derby, week 30 match is rescheduled to 11 July until further notice,” but this didn't please the club's officials who insisted on holding the match as scheduled. “Rescheduling the Cairo derby is not acceptable at all because it would help our opponent,” said Zamalek's football director while his Ahly's counterpart, Sayed Abdel-Hafiz shared the same point of view as well, confirming that “Ahly does not want to postpone the Zamalek match” and both sides expressed their faith in the local police and the armed forces securing the game. There are concerns about hooliganism, especially after the series of riots seen in the Egyptian stadiums, starting with the angry fans' full pitch-invasion on 2 April following the Zamalek and Tunisian Club Africain match in round 32 of the African Champions League, and most recently with last week's Ittihad of Alexandria similar scene during the Wadi-Degla relegation-strugglers match. The interior ministry had threatened earlier to cancel the domestic championship or to hold the matches behind closed doors as they have not been fully operational since the 18-day demonstrations that ousted former president Hosni Mubarak. The meeting may also discuss the tension between the clubs and the EFA under the presidency of Samir Zaher, as tens of clubs, including Ismaily, want to withdraw confidence from the association's leadership, not to mention the revolutionary forces that accuse the Mubarak-appointed board of corruption.
