5 April 2011
The possibility of playing the rest of the Egypt premier league season behind closed doors or on pitches inside military camps has been suggested by the country’s football association in the wake of a violent crowd invasion at the weekend.
The league was due to restart on April 13 but has now been postponed indefinitely in the wake of the abandoning of an African Champions League match in Cairo at the weekend after a pitch invasion led to nine injuries.
I will hold a series of meetings with officials to discuss the situation and work out a final solution for the resumption of the competition, Egyptian Football Association president Samir Zaher said on the association’s website www.efa.com.eg on Monday.
We could play matches behind closed doors and also on the pitches of the armed forces. Egypt’s domestic league has been in limbo since the popular uprising in January which led to the toppling of president Hosni Mubarak.
Only five matches in two African club competitions have been allowed in the country since the mass demonstrations.
On Saturday, angry supporters of Zamalek invaded the pitch and attacked the Algerian referee and players of the opposing Tunisian club after a late appeal for a penalty was turned down.
Former African champions Zamalek likely now face expulsion from the competition and a hefty fine and future ban.
On Monday, the Cairo-based Confederation of African Football said its disciplinary committee would hear possible charges against the Cairo club when it meets in South Africa later this month.
