Mohamed Shawky, Ahmed Fathi and Gedo
all had spells playing in England. Inspired by
that generation, a teenage Mohamed Salah
made his debut for Egyptian Premier League
strugglers Al Mokawloon that year.
Soon, however, events began to deteriorate.
After clashes with the authorities throughout
a pre-season game, the Ultras Ahlawy stated
that they would no longer attend matches,
asking for protection against further attacks
from the police. When the Arab Spring spread
to Egypt at the start of 2011, the ultras said
they wouldn’t officially join anti-government
demonstrations, but members could take
part if they wished. Many did, linking up with
representatives of the Ultras White Knights
(UWK) from bitter rivals Zamalek, in a rare
show of unity.
Cairo’s Tahrir Square was the venue for
many of the protests, notably on the evening
of February 1 and 2 when Mubarak followers
rode camels into the crowd and all hell broke
loose – 11 people were killed and 600 injured.EGYPT
A
distressed Mohamed Aboutrika was
shouting into his mobile phone, live on
Egyptian television, as tragedy unfolded
around him at the Port Said Stadium.
Four years earlier, Aboutrika had scored
the winning goal for Egypt in the Africa Cup
of Nations final, delivering the Pharaohs the
second of what would be three consecutive
continental triumphs. Now, he was trapped
amid chaos, witnessing the worst moment
in his country’s football history.
“A fan has just died in the dressing room in
front of me,” he told Al Ahly TV. “The security
forces left us, they didn’t protect us. I call for
the league to be cancelled. Today can never
be forgotten.”
On February 1, 2012, 74 people died in the
Port Said disaster after a riot followed the end
of a match between Al Masry and Al Ahly,
the country’s dominant club. Until then, the
Egyptian Premier League had been one of
the most vibrant and volatile on the planet
- a melting pot of inter-club rivalries and
political turmoil. In a turbulent decade since,
barely a single fan has been allowed inside
a stadium for a domestic match.
Al Ahly supporters accounted for 72 of the
victims in Port Said, and many have remained
steadfast in their belief about the reasons for
the riot that took place: revenge.
“I’m sure there are some hidden hands
behind this,” Al Ahly board member Khaled
Mortagy said in the days immediately after
the disaster. “This is something that has been
well organised.”
The club’s main ultra group, Ultras Ahlawy,
had been founded just five years previously,
though its formative years came in a country
facing increasing repression under its long-
serving president Hosni Mubarak. In one of
the world’s largest police states, supporter
groups were a rare vehicle for independent
expression. Crackdowns were common –
Al Ahly’s ultras were sometimes beaten or
arbitrarily arrested, and trouble in stadiums
was not tolerated.
On the field, Egypt’s third successive Africa
Cup of Nations victory in 2010 came thanks
to a wide talent pool, extending beyond just
Aboutrika and 184-cap midfielder Ahmed
Hassan. Around the same time, Mido, Amr
Zaki, Ahmed Elmohamady, Hossam Ghaly,“This is not football. This is a war.”
“THE POLICE STOOD
WATCHING, THEN
AMBULANCES WERE
LATE – I CARRIED
SEVERAL DEAD FANS”
Clockwise from
below Reaction
to the Port Said
tragedy; the day
after the chaos;
fans remember
the fallen; riots
were later seen
in Cairo before
Zamalek-ENPPI