CAIRO: Egypt's Football Association (FA) announced on Saturday that it was canceling the remainder of the premier league season as a result of the violence clashes following a February 1 football match in Port Said. The incident, the FA said, has left the country on edge and they did not see it prudent to continue with the season while tension and potential violence was persisting. The move has left many Egyptian fans saddened, but a number of fans told Bikyamasr.com late on Saturday that they were not surprised by the decision. “With fans calling for violence at upcoming matches, we understand why this has happened,” said Sherif Abdel Khalek, a 33-year-old marketing consultant and avid football fan. He added that “Egypt must get the past year of violence behind us before we can start to have fun with sports.” On February 1, fans from Port Said-based club al-Masry attacked fans from Egyptian giants al-Ahly following the home side's 3-1 victory. Security forces at the stadium did not intervene as violence spiraled out of control, killing at least 75 people. Eyewitnesses said the fans used knives, clubs and fired fire crackers at the opposing club. The incident sparked clashes in Cairo between protesters and police near the ministry of interior building and forced a suspension of matches in the Egyptian league. Now, it has been canceled for the remainder of the year. BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/9QDmH Tags: Cancel, FA, League, Sport Section: Egypt, Egyptian Sport, Football, Latest News
