Soccer fans stormed Cairo's main stadium Saturday ahead of match

Soccer fans stormed Cairo's main stadium Saturday ahead of match
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Summary During a match in 2012, 74 people, most Al -Ahly fans, were killed in a riot.

CAIRO (AP) Some 2,000 soccer fans stormed Cairo s main stadium Saturday ahead of a rare match that supporters are allowed to attend, Egypt s Interior Ministry said.

Security officials said they managed to expel fans from the stadium, confiscating 10 bags containing fireworks and banners. The fans entered after a truck broke through a stadium gate, they added.

They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to journalists.

The match_the CAF Confederation Cup championship between Egyptian club Al Ahly and the Ivory Coast s Sewe Sport_is still set to be played as scheduled, the officials said.

It will be the first time a team from either country has won the club title.

Prior to the storming, the Ministry of Interior released a statement asking fans to cooperate with police securing the match.

Al-Ahly supporters known as Ultras, who are deeply politicized, frequently clash with police inside and outside of stadiums. Many participated in the country s 2011 uprising that forced out President Hosni Mubarak.

After an outbreak of stadium violence in 2012, most Al-Ahly matches have been closed to the public. During a match that year in Port Said, 74 people, most Al -Ahly fans, were killed in a riot.
 

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