Egypt's Premier League To Begin Saturday As Scheduled Despite Continued Unrest

Egypt's Premier League will "begin as scheduled" on Saturday after last weekend's verdict, according to AHRAM. All Egyptian domestic football activities have been suspended since February when 71 Ahly fans were killed and hundreds injured in Port Said stadium. Egypt FA board member Mahmoud El-Shamy said, "The Premier League new season will begin as scheduled on Feb. 2 after the court's decision. We can't comment on the verdicts as we trust in the Egyptian judiciary" (AHRAM, 1/26). In Cairo, Mahmoud Elassal reported Egypt assistant coach Diaa El-Sayed said that he is confident the premier league "will start on schedule despite the latest wave of street protests." El-Sayed said, "The domestic league is important for the teams as well as the national team. We support resuming the Premier League as we are arranging a national team camp after the first week of the league" (AHRAM, 1/28).