Egypt has suspended its football league and ordered an investigation after at least 40 people were killed and dozens injured in a stampede and clashes between police and supporters of Zamalek football club at a game in Cairo, officials said.
According to witness accounts, violence erupted when police tried to set up barricades and used tear gas to disperse football fans trying to force their way into the army-owned stadium in the city's northeast on Sunday.
Egypt's public prosecutor ordered that an investigation begin immediately, while the incident prompted the government to postpone the Egyptian Premier League indefinitely, the prime minister's office said in a statement.
The Egyptian Interior Ministry said the clashes occurred after supporters of Zamalek, known as Ultras White Knights, tried to attend the game without buying tickets.
"Huge numbers of Zamalek club fans came to Air Defence Stadium to attend the match ... and tried to storm the stadium gates by force, which prompted the troops to prevent them from continuing the assault," the ministry said.
The fans posted on their group's official Facebook page that the violence began because authorities only opened one narrow, barbed-wire door to let them in. They said that sparked pushing and shoving that later saw police officers fire tear gas and birdshot.
"Suddenly they closed the gate and told us to get out through another gate," a witness told Al Jazeera.
"The police were in front and behind the gate. They fired tear gas. This caused panic and people fell on top of each other. We started to leave quickly. There were old people in the crowd and they were crushed by other fans."
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