A fortnight after the Port Said tragedy, Ahmed Morsy takes the pulse of whether the Egyptian national league should resume Following the Port Said stadium disaster which left 74 football fans dead and hundreds injured, the Egyptian domestic league was suspended indefinitely, resulting in a major talking point for the masses. Some told Al-Ahram Weekly they favour the continuation of the league -- with or without fans -- while others were completely against. "I suggest we play and with fans in the stadiums," said Hussein Karem, an Ahli supporter. "I think the Port Said massacre might be a blessing in disguise since football fans will think twice before invading the pitch again. Police ought to perform their duty and football officials will be on the spot in the future." Mohamed Samir, 27, believes the league can be resumed but behind closed doors. "The league should be continued with no fans, though," Samir said. He said having fans in football games again during the current turmoil would not be a wise decision. Ahmed Emara, a 29-year-old Zamalek fan, believes the league should not be resumed. "We should forget about resuming the current season of the Egyptian league since we are not prepared," Emara said. "The present chaos prevents the league's continuation. Hence, we should focus on the coming season, which should start in summer, in order to be fully prepared and organised." Only the national league competition has been suspended, not international engagements. Thus, the dilemma stems from the fact that the Egyptian national and Olympic teams rely mostly on local players in the national league, with very few playing abroad. The national team has only three European-based Egyptian players: Mohamed Zidan in the German Premier League (Mainz), Ahmed El-Mohamadi in the English Premier League (Sunderland) and Dodi El-Gabbas in the Belgian Premier League (Lierse). The Olympic national team, preparing for London 2012, has no players playing abroad. The decision to postpone the league indefinitely has caused confusion in the national football squad which is preparing for both the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations qualifications and the 2014 World Cup qualifications. Ahli players have derailed plans by US coach Bob Bradley for refusing to play until the results of the investigation into the Port Said tragedy are announced and the people responsible for the massacre are brought to justice. The Pharaohs are to meet Central Africa in the African qualifications on 30 June after it was planned for 29 February. The confusion has prompted many Egyptian players to seriously consider leaving the country to play elsewhere, whether on loan or permanently. For instance, Ismaili star Hosni Abd Rabou announced last week that he had joined Ittihad Jeddah on loan till the end of the season. "The tragedy at Port Said has forced me to go to the Saudi club on loan for six months," said the Egyptian international midfielder. "The postponing of the Egyptian league and the unstable atmosphere made me do it." Tarek El-Ashri, Haras Al-Hedoud coach, believes in the importance of resuming the domestic football competition. "The league should return after the situation calms down," El-Ashri, whose team was leading the league table before the suspension, told the Weekly. "We should meet the difficulties facing us in order to restart the football league," he said. This is the second time the Egyptian Football Association (EFA) suspends the national league indefinitely in the past year. The first was immediately after the revolution began on 25 January 2011. The competition resumed five months later. "It can't be cancelled because there are many financial issues pending affecting clubs, players and coaching staff which will not be settled if the league season is cancelled," El-Ashri added. Gamal El-Zuheri, Akhbar Al-Riyada editor-in-chief, has a different take. "Because of the unrest as well as the lack of security, the Egyptian league cannot be played," El-Zuheri told the Weekly. "We also won't be able to resume the league because of the heated atmosphere. It may be resumed but behind closed doors after security officials guarantee that they will be able to safeguard the stadium." Regarding the Ulras Ahlawi (UA), Ahli's hardcore supporting group, most of whose members were those who died in the stadium melee, they believe that football can be played again in Egypt but only if the rights of those who died are restored. "The league should continue but only after justice is served," Re'oo, a UA member, told the Weekly. "Applying justice can only be done when people responsible for the massacre of Port Said are severely punished. And then, the national football competition restarts. "Without their rights being returned, carnage may erupt again during games," he added. Commenting on the postponement of the league, Nader El-Sayed, former Egypt's goalkeeper and current TV presenter, rejects the relationship between the league suspension and the rights of those killed. "The rights of the people who died won't return with the suspension of the league," El-Sayed said. "Playing the games again will not diminish the rights of martyrs since their only right as far as we're concerned is justice or retribution, not having the league suspended." As for the official perspective, Amer Hussein, EFA head of competitions, told the Weekly in a previous interview that the situation regarding the national league resumption remained vague. "It's not clear now and it's not in our hands. We are certainly aware of the impact it will leave on the football industry on both the technical side and the market. We as a federation will lose a lot but we have to suspend it, at least indefinitely. "We still have to wait until the end of the investigation and identify who was responsible for the incident. This is the first step. Until then we can't take a decision by ourselves. It is a security issue and the government has to approve whatever decisions are to be taken."
