Trap of the Day: Egypt Football Riots

Elegance-craftiness-finesse…Grace-agility-touch…Poise-dexterity-teamwork. The list goes on with words associated with the most popular and beautiful game on planet earth. But even for “soccer” (or “football” depending where you come from) there is a fine line drawn on the game’s beauty. The scary event that unfolded in Egypt Wednesday exemplifies how such a beautiful game can turn ugly, fast. Introducing the Egypt Football Riots Trap:

The madness began with a (3-1) unexpected upset victory, with the home team al-Masry knocking off their rivals Al-Ahly, the top-ranked football club in the country based out of Cairo. In the sports world–especially in American collegiate athletics–it’s traditional to rush the field the very moment the underdog team triumphs over a superior opponent. In a similar fashion that happened in Port Said. Like the sweeping inundation of a flash flood, fans began to pour onto the pitch once the final whistle sounded. What initially appeared to be the spirit of celebratory jubilation quickly changed its course, turning ugly in a hurry.

Players, coaches and team personnel from the road team Al-Ahly became targets of aggression. Fortunately, the team was immediately aware of the dangerous environment and rushed to escape to their locker room safe haven relatively unscathed. Fans that made the trip to Port Said to root on their club were not so lucky. Especially those that rushed the field coming to their team’s aid. Thugs entered the pitch wielding knives, stones, chairs, flares and some even carried swords. Blunt force trauma, stab wounds and suffocation ended up killing a reported 74 people, injuring up to a thousand others in the stadium. One of the main causes of death resulted from stampedes as frantic fans attempted to flee the stadium all at once through a narrow tunnel, others falling to their death from terraces above.

The outrage from the Port Said events has spilled onto the streets of Cairo, as citizens continue to demand answers as to how such a tragedy could have been allowed to happen. The overwhelming reaction has been, this is not about football, but politics. Where was the police and security presence in such a heated rivalry? Why were “fans” allowed to enter the stadium gates armed with weapons? What role did Hosni Murabek’s ousting have on the clash that took place after the match concluded? Where can justice be found for the families setting up funeral arrangements as we speak?

This is by far one of the more incredibly sad, but tremendously intriguing Traps that I have ever covered since working for Trapit. There are so many layers covering the truth of the matter, and the plot continues to thicken and develop each time I dive back into the Trap for a better understanding. I highly recommend the Egypt Football Riots Trap. As a people, we owe it to ourselves to comprehend why things like this happen in the world.

-Geoff