Supporters of Egypt's leading football club Ahly have declared they would not attend their team's African Champions League game against Ethiopian Coffee Football Club next Sunday.
Members of Ultras Ahlawy, the most devoted supporters of the club, said they would resume their sit-in outside the Parliament building in Cairo, which started in late March, to press for retribution for fellows killed in the Port Said Stadium violence on 1 February.
Leading ultras members said a joint decision has been made with supporters of Ahly's rival club, Zamalek, to reject any sporting events in Egypt before achieving justice for those killed.
"The game is meaningless to us, we won't be there; the sit-in continues until our demands are met," said Mohamed Tarek, one Ultras Ahlawy member.
Seventy-four fans were killed in a football match against Port Said's team, Masry. Masry supporters stormed the pitch and attacked the visiting team's fans, reportedly for hoisting an insulting banner.
The massacre had stoked fury over the alleged security failures of Prime Minister Kamal al-Ganzouri’s cabinet and the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces.
The Egyptian Football Association punished Masry by suspending its football activities for two years and closing the Port Said Stadium for three years. Ahly fans said the penalties were insufficient.
Translated from Al-Masry Al-Youm
