Month: September 2016

The Ultras members were arrested while trying to enter Ahly club to attend a handball match

Fifteen Ahly Ultras were referred to an urgent trial for illegal protesting in front of the club, among other charges, by Cairo prosecutors on Sunday.

The defendants—members of the hardcore Ahly sports club fan group—will stand trial in a misdemeanour court on Tuesday. Four other defendants, who are minors, were referred to juvenile court on related charges.

Security forces initially arrested 47 members of the Ahly Ultras on Friday, as they were attempting to enter the club to attend a handball match between Al-Ahly club and Al-Gazeera club.

Twenty-eight people were released while 19 others were referred to the prosecution.

The prosecution decided to detain the 19 Ultras for four days, pending investigations into a number of charges including illegal protesting and assembly, assaulting security forces, blocking the highways and attempting to storm the headquarters of Ahly club.

The incident follows a request by Ahly club made to security forces to stop Ultras fans from attempting to attend matches and activities without tickets, following an attack on Ahly football players during a training session in August by angry fans.

Quelle: Ahram Online, 26. September 2016

Von Sarah El-Sheikh

The members were arrested from different areas in the stadium’s vicinity on accusations of possessing forged match tickets and fireworks

Von James M Dorsey

An Egyptian businessman with close ties to general-turned-president Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi has submitted a bid for the broadcasting rights of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) in a move that is widely seen as an effort to polish the image of Egypt, tarnished by massive abuse of human rights, failing economic policies, and a military coup that put in 2013 put an end to the country’s first democratic experiment.

The $600 million bid also challenges the predominance among Arab satellite broadcasters of BelN, the Qatar-owned sports network that is part of Al Jazeera, and has bought broadcasting rights across the globe.

Finally, if successful, the bid could help improve Mr. Al-Sisi’s domestic standing at a time that the president is struggling economically and being propped up by funding from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Many Egyptians cannot afford BelN’s subscription rates that range from $7.5 to $54 a month.

Relations between Qatar, a supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood, and Egypt have been strained ever since Mr. Al-Sisi three years ago toppled Mohammed Morsi, a Brother and Egypt’s first and only democratically elected president.

Continue reading “Egypt hopes soccer will help polish its tarnished image”