The Egyptian Football Federation on Thursday postponed all football matches scheduled for Friday and Saturday citing security reasons related to the ongoing wave of anti-government protests that have shaken the country since Tuesday.
Federation board member Ayman Younes said that security authorities had sent a formal letter to the federation requesting the postponement of the scheduled 16th round of Super League matches until further notice.
Younes said that the league would announce new dates for the matches after coordinating with security authorities.
Instability has reigned in Egypt since Tuesday, with massive nationwide protests resulting in violent clashes between protesters and police. Seven people have been reported killed to date in various clashes.
Further unrest is expected on Friday with protesters calling for another round of demonstrations following Friday prayers.
Football matches in Egypt are generally attended by tens of thousands of fans. In recent years, there have been increasing instances of football hooliganism, prompting the interior ministry to deploy thousands of central security forces at major football matches to prevent disturbances.
