This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.
Egyptian Premier clubs furious at interior ministry's security shake-up Ministry letter to EFA raises ire by suggesting unqualified stadium staff should play primary role in securing top football matches
Several Egyptian clubs reacted angrily following the emergence of a controversial letter from the interior ministry which seemingly indicates that police forces will not be in full charge of security for Premier League matches. The elite domestic competition breathes back into life on Wednesday following a lengthy stoppage due to the popular revolt which toppled former president Hosni Mubarak. However, security concerns still hover over the country, especially following an ugly pitch invasion in an African Champions League clash between Egypt's Zamalek and Tunisia's Club Africain last week. In a letter sent to the Egyptian Football Association (EFA) on Friday, the interior ministry said the security personnel of clubs and stadiums should play the primary role in securing matches. The ministry was responding to a request from the EFA to hold a friendly match between Egypt and Libya in Cairo. It was not clear whether the ministry also referred to the league games. “Zamalek sent a letter to Prime Minister Essam Sharaf today to express its dismay at the content of the interior ministry letter,” Zamalek's interim chairman Galal Ibrahim told Ahram Online on Saturday. “The clubs' security personnel are not qualified to deal with the large number of fans who attend league matches. “This means the clubs should hire special security staff but they cannot financially afford that.” Nassr Aboul-Hassan, chairman of coastal club Ismaily, echoed Ibrahim's sentiment. “The clubs are not and should not be responsible for security. Our mission is to organize the games, not to secure them,” he said. “If the interior ministry cannot secure the league games then the competition should be cancelled to avoid any disastrous consequences.” The EFA spokesman said chairman Samir Zaher will meet with some interior ministry officials on Sunday "to clarify the letter's ambiguity". The decision to resume the league has already drawn criticism from local media, given security concerns in a country still reeling following January's uprising.
