Ministry of Interior promises no riot during Cairo derby

CAIRO – 16 July 2017: Al-Ahly will face Zamalek on Monday at 8 p.m. at Borg al-Arab Stadium in the last round of the Egyptian league. Al-Ahly has already won the 2017 league four weeks prior to the official end of the game.

The Cairo derby is under tight security measures to avoid riots by the two most famous clubs’ fans in Egypt. The derby is a football game between the two most famous and widely-spread clubs in Egypt, Al-Ahly and Zamalek.

Security forces will surround the stadium area with additional personnel to avoid negative consequences.

Previously, riots happened after the Zamalek-Libyan Ahly club on July 9.

“Potential riots attempts will be faced firmly and outlawed behavior will not be allowed inside and outside the stadium,” Assistant to the Minister of Interior for Western Delta General Ahmed Abu Zeid said during his meeting with security leaders and officers in charge of securing the derby match on Monday.

The security leadership urged the two clubs’ fans to avoid inappropriate behavior during and after the match to avoid chaos and violence, which negatively affect the image of Egyptian sports.

The match will be run by Scottish referees. The rivalry between the clubs is so strong that foreign referees are always brought in for the derby games.