Egypt court confirms death sentences over football riot

An Egyptian court upheld Monday death sentences against 10 people convicted over rioting that claimed 74 lives at a stadium in Port Said in 2012, judicial and security officials said.

The ruling by the Court of Cassation, which is final, excluded an 11th defendant who remains at large after his death penalty was also confirmed in June 2015 by another court.

The court upheld prison sentences for around 40 other people, including a five-year term against Port Said’s security chief at the time, a judicial official said.

Monday’s ruling was welcomed by relatives of those who died in the rioting, who celebrated outside the court in Cairo.

The riot, the country’s deadliest sports-related violence, broke out when fans of home team Al-Masry and Cairo’s Al-Ahly clashed after a premier league match between the two clubs.

Ultras — hardcore football supporters usually blamed by the authorities for violence — were at the forefront of the 2011 uprising that unseated longtime president Hosni Mubarak.