CAIRO: The preliminary report by a parliamentary fact-finding committee probing the Feb. 1 Port Said football massacre that left 71 dead placed the political responsibility for the events on security forces, the Egyptian Football Federation, Al Masry Club and then Port Said Stadium Authority, the committee announced Sunday during a general PA session. “The security paved the way for such a violent event to occur,” said MP Ashraf Thabet, head of the fact-finding committee, who explained that fans were allowed into the stadium without being searched or even asked to show their tickets. While 12,000 tickets were sold, he said, 18,000 were in the stadium that day. Furthermore, security did not stop fans from entering the football field. No one “moved a foot,” according to eye witness accounts. Unidentified civilians were allowed by security onto the field without scrutiny, said Thabet. The committee also found that the two plans to secure the stadium were identical but for an increase of 25 officers to reinforce each security cordon. The report also takes the Egyptian Football Federation to task, claiming that it violated standard FIFA regulations on securing matches. “The [Federation] must have a security official who monitors security before, during and after the match,” said Thabet, noting that one of the responsibilities of this official is to evaluate the political situation in the country including potential terrorist threats or clashes between fans. The Port Said Stadium Authority was held responsible for sealing the stadium's doors. Previous matches in Port Said indicated that a catastrophe was likely to happen, said the report, highlighting that Port Said's Al-Masry fans had attacked Alexandria's Itihad fans in 2011 and threatened hostility towards Al-Ahly on internet forums. Thabet also blamed incitement by sports media which encourages fanaticism and helped create a crisis between the fans of both clubs. Clashes between fans on social networking websites were clear indication of impending violence, with Al-Masry's fans telling Al-Ahly's that they will die and the others responding by saying that “Port Said has no men”. PA Speaker Saad El-Katatny adjourned the evening session following Thabet's presentation and announced that the report will be discussed in parliament Monday.
