At least 22 Egyptian soccer fans killed in clashes with police

Policemen and soccer fans argue during a scuffle as fans attempt to enter a stadium to watch a match, on the outskirts of Cairo February 8, 2015. [Photo/Agencies]

CAIRO - At least 22 Egyptian soccer fans were killed and some 20 others injured in the clashes with police on Sunday night in the capital Cairo, Egypt's state-run MENA news agency reported.

The clashes took place when the fans of Zamalek club, known as Ultras White Knights, tried to storm Cairo's Air Defense Stadium to watch the match between Zamalek and Enppi club without buying tickets.

The fans were killed due to suffocation and stampede after police forces used teargas to disperse them, according to a press statement of the Interior Ministry.

The match went ahead, despite the clashes.

In 2012, a riot at a soccer stadium in the city of Port Said left 73 people dead and hundreds others injured after a match between the clubs of Al-Masry and Al-Ahli.