8 members of Ahly Ultras jailed for 15 days over ‘riots’

CAIRO – 12 March 2018: The Egyptian National State Prosecution ordered on Monday the imprisonment of eight members of “Ultras Ahlawy” (Fans of Al-Ahly Sports Club) for 15 days pending investigations over accusations of committing riots during a football game last week at Cairo Stadium.

A number of Al-Ahly and Gabon's CF Mounana fans raised their chairs in the air and lit flares at the match in the African Champions League on Tuesday, causing a state of chaos, even though the game ended with Al-Ahly winning 4-0.

Other charges of “belonging to a terrorist group and heading a terrorist group” were brought against them, according to the prosecution’s statement.

Cairo Stadium faced huge damages during the riot, which are estimated to total LE 650,000 ($36,913).

Egypt has many sports clubs, with the most famous being Al-Ahly and Zamalek. Zamalek’s Ultras association is known as the “White Knights”. Both clubs have more than 2.3 million fans, according to their official Facebook pages. Ultras fans have been associated with a cycle of violence since the January 25 Revolution in 2011. Members of both the Ultras White Knights and Ultras Ahlawy, were previously handed prison sentences over charges of inciting violence and protesting against security forces. They were also engaged in clashes with the police.

Additional reporting by Nourhan Magdy