Government suspends national soccer league after 25 die in riot

Egypt's Cabinet has suspended the national soccer league until further notice after at least 25 fans were killed in clashes with police and a stampede outside a Cairo stadium.

The Cabinet announced the move late on Sunday.

The riot, coming three years after similar violence killed more than 70 people, began ahead of a match between the Egyptian Premier League clubs Zamalek and ENPPI at Air Defense Stadium east of Cairo.

Such attacks in the past have sparked days of protests pitting the country's hard-core fans against police officers in a nation already on edge after years of revolt and turmoil.

The violence comes as police face increasing scrutiny following the shooting death of a female protester in Cairo and the arrest of protesters under a law that heavily restricts demonstrations.

President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi has pledged to bring stability to Egypt amid bombings and attacks by Islamic militants, but also has said Egypt's emergency situation meant that some violations of human rights were, regrettably, inevitable.

Egypt's public prosecutor issued a statement ordering an investigation. After convening an emergency meeting to discuss the violence, the Cabinet announced that it was postponing upcoming soccer matches until further notice, Egyptian state television said.

What caused the violence wasn't immediately clear. Security officials said Zamalek fans tried to force their way into the match without tickets, sparking clashes. Fans have only recently been allowed back at matches, and the Interior Ministry planned to let only 10,000 fans into the stadium, which has a capacity of about 30,000, the officials said.

Zamalek fans, known as "White Knights", posted on their group's official Facebook page that the violence began because authorities only opened one narrow, barbed-wire door to let them in. They said that sparked pushing and shoving that later saw police officers fire tear gas and birdshot.

A fan who tried to attend the game, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the stampede was caused by police who fired tear gas at the tightly packed crowd.

"Those who fell down could not get back up again," the man said.

The deadliest riot in Egypt soccer history came during a 2012 match, killing 74 people.

AP - Xinhua - Reuters