By Ahmed Morsy ATHLETES gathered in Tahrir Square Friday seeking an end to corruption in Egyptian sports, reports Ahmed Morsy. Though the invitation to the protest, officially called Cleansing Egyptian Sports of Corruption, came from footballers, including former Zamalek national team goalkeeper Mohamed Abdel-Monsef, several other sports federations and media joined in. The protesters demanded that the head of the Sports Council Hassan Sakr leave and Egyptian sports be cleansed of corruption. Though the demonstrators were just a few hundred, sportsmen and women had their say and spoke loudly from a stage set up at the centre of the square. Tahrir Square was the epicenter of huge demonstrations in January which eventually ousted former president Hosni Mubarak. Since then, the square has been a rallying point, mainly on Friday, for protests demanding various corrective measures. "We wanted to see more sports people in the protest, but it was called at short notice, only a week ago. However, we'll continue every Friday seeking a clean and healthy sports field until we see real changes and reforms taking place," Zamalek board member Sabri Serag told Al-Ahram Weekly. A day before the protest, the Egyptian Football Association (EFA) said it would take punitive measures in its battle with hooliganism after about 100 fans invaded the pitch of Alexandria Stadium in a crucial domestic league match between the home team Ittihad and visitors Wadi Degla of Cairo. The game was called off with three minutes of injury time to go. The trouble began when Degla scored a 92nd- minute goal to go 2-1 ahead. The result meant that the home team would drop to the second division of Egypt's domestic league competition, while Degla would escape the same fate. Supporters in the 5,000-strong crowd threw plastic bottles at Degla players and team officials and fans, then ran onto the pitch. Seven police officers and 17 soldiers were injured during the field battle. In an emergency meeting held the following day, the EFA declared Wadi Degla the winner of the game 2-0. In addition, Ittihad will be forced to play its next game outside its grounds, without fans, and pay a fine of LE55,000. If similar riots are repeated, the club's remaining matches will be held away, without fans, until the end of the season. The EFA has warned all clubs that their matches will be played without fans should riots break out in the future. There are still five matches to go in the premier league season. The EFA decided that the Olympic Games qualifier between Egypt and Sudan be moved from Alexandria Stadium to Border Guards Stadium on the outskirts of Alexandria after Alexandria Stadium was damaged by hooligans and because it is far from the city centre. FIFA approved the transfer of the venue. Earlier, arch-rivals Ahli and Zamalek were fined LE15,000 each after their fans used foul language against the referees and rival supporters. The EFA also decided that Egyptian referees will handle the rest of the league matches except games in which it was agreed upon to appoint foreign referees. Although the use of foreign referees is not new in Egyptian football, Ahli and Zamalek in particular, who are battling for the league title, had started using them with more frequency, believing foreign adjudicators are more neutral.
