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Egypt's interior ministry ends 6-month football fan ban Egypt's interior ministry tests the waters, allowing fans back to the stands of specific games for the first time since the tragic deaths in Port Said stadium
The Egyptian interior ministry has agreed to allow limited fan attendance in specific football games, marking the first step to remove a crowd ban that has been in place since February's Port Said disaster where more than 70 fans were killed during a match. According to Al-Ahram daily newspaper, the Egyptian Football Association (EFA) has been given the green light to hold the next month's Super Cup with minimal fan attendance. Ahly, Premier League winners in 2011, and Egypt Cup holders ENPPI will face each other in the annual curtain-raiser to the season, which is set to kick off in late September. Last season's Premier League was called off altogether following the Port Said tragedy, which left over 70 dead and hundreds injured allegedly after Masry supporters invaded the pitch to confront Ahly's visiting contingent. Cairo giants Ahly and Zamalek and the Egyptian national team have had to play their respective continental matches behind closed doors since then due to lingering security concerns. However, the hardcore supporters of Ahly and Zamalek have relentlessly pressured the EFA into allowing them to attend matches. Their efforts bore fruit following the appointment of El-Amry Farouq as the new sports minister. The former Ahly board member sat down with Interior Minister Ahmed Gamal Eddin more than once to in an attempt to resolve the crisis. The interior ministry has insisted it would not secure any match unless 10 safety requirements were met by the cash-strapped Egyptian clubs. They reportedly agreed that the league matches will only take place in the military-owned stadiums for security reasons. Fans will also get to see Ahly and Zamalek's upcoming African Champions League matches live, he added. However, it remains to be seen whether supporters will be allowed to attend the last group-stage match between the Cairo foes. (For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter: @AO Sports and Facebook AhramOnlineSports) http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/51199.aspx