| FOOTBALL’S IMAGE SHOULD NOT BE TARNISHED THIS WAY | Send to a friend |
| Saturday, 04 February 2012 12:07 |
 Egyptian authorities are scrambling to contain mounting anger over Wednesday night’s post-match violence that left at least 74 people dead. It was truly a black day for African football.Thousands of soccer fans were injured in the violence, Africa’s worst since 2011 when around 126 people were killed in a stampede in Accra, Ghana. Wednesday's disaster erupted at the final whistle of a match which saw Al-Masri beat Al-Ahly 3-1. There have been other significant death tallies after riots in Africa. In 2001, for instance, over 120 people died after unrest at a match between Hearts of Oak and Asante Kotoko in Ghana. The latest disaster raises questions about the safety of Tanzania Mainland champions Young Africans, who face Zamalek in the Africa Champions League return leg in Cairo next month. Tanzanian teams have in the past encountered fan aggression playing away in Egypt and the situation may well go from bad to worse in such a volatile atmosphere. Given what has just transpired, it would be wise for Young Africans, through the Tanzania Football Federation (TFF), to notify the Confederation of African Football (CAF) of their concerns about the security situation in Egypt. CAF, as FIFA president Sepp Blatter pointed out yesterday, should take steps to ensure that such a catastrophe never happens again.We are not here to instruct CAF on how best to go about this matter, but we believe it would be wise to shift the Yanga-Zamalek match to neutral ground. The Cairo tragedy should serve as a message to relevant authorities that Africa needs adequate security to protect the people from incidents that are easily prevented. African governments should take appropriate action to ensure all round safety at sports stadiums. Football is a force for good and we must not allow it to be abused by those who do not mean well. Add this page to your favorite Social Bookmarking websites           |
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