Egyptian police fired tear gas and shot bullets in the air in the coastal city of Port Said as scuffles renewed between soccer fans and security forces after their club was banned over the country's worst stadium disaster, witnesses said.
The Egyptian Football Association (EFA) banned the club, al-Masry, for two seasons for a pitch invasion that killed 74 fans last month. One person was shot dead when angry fans clashed with security forces last night.
"Hundreds of angry fans clashed with military police after the decision was announced," one witness said."One was shot dead, in the back, and 18 were injured in the clashes, two of them are suffering gunshot wounds," the medical source said.
Port Said harbour was closed this morning because of the protests and ships using the Suez Canal were directed to a secondary route east of the city, sources at the Suez Canal Authority and Port Said harbour said.
Eyewitnesses said that many factories did not open as hundreds of protesters closed roads leading to the coastal Mediterranean city, denying entrance to thousands of workers from neighbouring provinces.
The EFA said in a statement that Masry's soccer activities would be suspended for the 2011/12 and 2012/13 seasons. The club would be reinstated to the Egyptian Premier League in the 2013/14 season.
During the February pitch invasion, steel doors at the stadium were bolted shut, trapping fans trying to escape from the stands. Dozens were crushed to death.
Many fans blamed the government for failing to send enough police to the stadium given the tense build-up to the match, and many believe the violence was started by hired thugs. At least 1,000 people were injured.
Prosecutors referred 75 people, including nine security officials in Port Said, to the criminal court on March 15th to face trial over the violence.
Reuters