CAIRO - Death, blood, destruction – we might associate such things with traffic accidents or armed robberies, but surely not with a football match. Yet last Wednesday, in Port Said, a match between Al-Masry and Al-Ahly turned violent, claiming the lives of at least 70 Ahly fans and injured around 1,000 more. Little did anyone imagine their sons going to watch a football match, only to return home in coffins, having died in the world's worst sporting disaster. ‘The Massacre of Port Said' has cast a shadow over the country's sports sector. The Egyptian Football Association (EFA) board members have announced their resignation, in solidarity with the families who lost their loved ones in Port Said. The EFA has indefinitely postponed all Premier League matches, while Ahly club have suspended all their sporting activities and declared 40 days of mourning. National teams in a bind Sports are part of life in Egypt and of course they have been affected by what has been happening recently in the country. Sports are vital for people's wellbeing in a country where around 60 per cent of citizens can be described as youths. The fateful events in Port Said Stadium have spelled big trouble for Egypt's national teams, especially as the League has been indefinitely postponed and most clubs have suspended all their sporting activities. The big trouble stems from the fact that Egypt's National and Olympic teams depend mainly on local elements that are playing in the Premier League, with very few professionals. The first national team has only three European-based Egyptian players: Mohamed Zidan in the German Premier League (Mainz club), Ahmed el-Mohamadi in English Premier League (Sunderland club) and Dodi el-Gabbas in the Belgian Premier League (Lierse club). Meanwhile, the Olympic national team doesn't have any professional players at all. The Ahly players have put the coaching staff of the first national team, led by technical coach Bob Bradley, in severe trouble for refusing to play any games until the people responsible for the Massacre of Port Said are suitably punished. A number of Ahly stars, led by playmaker Mohamed Abou Treika, Mohamed Barakat, Ahmed Fathi and Emad Mete'b, have stopped playing until the results of the investigations into the Port Said tragedy are announced. As a result, the first national team and the Olympic team players will lose their fitness and focus. This is made more serious by the fact that the national teams have important international matches coming up soon. The first national team will start their campaign for the 2013 African Cup of Nations (ACN) on February 29, facing the Central African team in the first leg of their qualification match; the second leg will be in June. According to national team sources, the coaching staff will ask the CAF to delay the game, due to the current circumstances. The team are meant to start a training camp in Cairo on February 15, playing two friendlies against Botswana and Kenya on February 20 and 23 respectively, before travelling to Central Africa on February 24. Former United States coach Bradley signed a contract at the end of September to work as the national team's technical coach until July 2014. The 53-year-old Bradley, has promised to help the Egyptians achieve their dream of qualifying for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. He expressed his sadness over the violence in Port Said. "I am really sad about what happened. It was terrible," he said, stressing that he has no intention of resigning. "I'm not thinking about departing from Egypt. I have every confidence that the Egyptian people will get over this tragic awful incident," he added on a positive note. As for the Olympic team, they are meant to start a training camp at the same time as the first national team, in order to prepare for the Olympics Games in London this summer. The team are supposed to travel to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in a fortnight's time, to play two friendlies against Romania and Uzbekistan on February 21 and 24 respectively, before travelling to Spain for a friendly match there on February 28. ‘Al-Ahly Martyrs' Week' Al-Ahly club have in principle declared that the first week of every February will be known as ‘Al-Ahly Martyrs' Week'. At the headquarters of Ahly club in el-Gezira district, the players have been receiving condolences for the martyrs killed in Port Said. "This is the worst sports catastrophe in Egypt's history," Hassan Hamdi, President of Ahly club, says. "We will not forget these martyrs; this will go down as a black Wednesday in the country's history. The club will do all its can to ensure that the guilty are justly punished.” Hamdi explains that the club has asked the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) to treat the victims like the revolutionary martyrs – and the injured too. Interior Minister Mohamed Ibrahim has sacked the security chief of Port Said, Essam Samak, because of the rioting. Police say that around 52 people have been arrested, while investigations continue. Seconds after the final whistle, all Hell broke loose. Thousands of supporters of Port Said team Al-Masry invade the pitch, hurling bottles and rocks at the fans of Cairo's Ahly. “The players were traumatised. It was a nightmare for them to see so many of their fans killed before their very eyes,” adds Hamdi, revealing that the club has established a bank account for donations for the martyrs, with the club having contributed LE1 million as a start. Ahly technical coach Manuel José da Silva has donated LE375,000 (around $62,000) to the fund, while the team players have asked the club board to donate a percentage of their annual income to the martyrs and those injured in Port Said. Sports channels under threat After the indefinite suspension of the Premier League and most postponing all their sporting activities, around six sports TV channels are threatened with closure. Cancelling the Premier League may result in the loss of many sports investments, estimated to be worth more than LE1 billion, besides the loss of TV advertising. The channels under threaten are Nile Sport, Modern Sport, Modern Koora, Al-Ahly, Melody Sport and El-Nahar Sport, whose bread and butter comes from broadcasting and analysing Premier League games. Egyptian Players thinking of leaving The recent problems have prompted many Egyptian players to seriously ponder leaving the country to play in stable leagues, whether on loan or permanently. Ismaili star Hosni Abd Rabou announced yesterday that he had joined Ittihad Jeddah on loan till the end of the season. "The tragedy at Port Said has prompted me to go to the Saudi club on loan for six months," says the Egyptian international midfielder. "The postponing of the Egyptian League and the unstable atmosphere have made me do this.” Feb. 1 urged as Egypt's Sports Day Gamal Mohamed Ali, an ex-EFA member, has also expressed his deep grief at this tragedy. "It's dreadful to see something like this happen at a football match, and for so many young men to lose their lives," he says, urging officials to change the country's Sports Day from March 3 to February 1, in commemoration of the victims.
