Sudanese in fear of football riots during match of summit teams

The growing phenomenon of football stadium riots in Sudan has become a nagging issue for the Sudanese football fans as fears are mounting over possible football disaster during the match of the Sudanese summit teams ( Al-Hilal V Al-Merreikh), scheduled for Saturday at the conclusion of the CAF Confederation Cub Champion's group qualifying rounds. The Sudanese football fans are expected to hold their breath all during the match's 90 minutes in fear of riots as the last two matches between the two summit teams Al-Hilal and Al-Merreikh ended in riot incidents, which prompted concerns over the future of sports tolerance in this country. Around 30 fans were reported to have been injured in riot incidents that broke out following the two teams' match on the 20th of last September, causing the police authorities to fire tear gas in the stadium to disperse the fans. The Sudanese Football Association (SFA) has expressed great concern over the disorders by the two teams' fans, warning against the recent growing phenomenon of football riots during the Sudanese summit teams' matches. "The SFA has set up strict organizational and security regulations to avoid any tensions between the two teams' fans, based on the recommendations of CAF, which stressed the importance of taking the necessary organizational and security precautions", Majdi Shamseddin, SFA Secretary General, told Xinhua Saturday. "The fans of the two teams will be subjected to accurate search at the entrances of the Stadium. They will be prevented from taking fireworks or loudspeakers to ensure that the fans would not violate the peaceful football spirit", he added. Shamseddin further warned that the two teams' clubs would undergo tough punishments by CAF if their fans violated the ideal sport discipline. He went on saying that "the two teams' fans should refrain from tension, resort to the sound of mind and support their teams in a civilized manner." Al-Merreikh is to host at its Stadium in Omdurman on Saturday its historical competitor Al-Hilal which tops Group B in the CAF Confederation Cub Championship with 11 points, with one point difference from the host team. The southern seats of Al-Merreikh Stadium, which are confined to Al-Hilal fans, have been damaged during the last match between the two teams in the Sudanese Supper League, where Al- Merreikh team condemned the incident and held the Sudanese police and Al- Hilal fans responsible. The Sudanese Minister of Youths and Sports Al-Fatih Taj-Essir, meanwhile, immediately formed a fact-finding committee to investigate the football riots incidents under chairmanship of the former Sudanese minister of Justice Abdul-Basit Sabdarat, but the committee has not issued its report yet. In the meantime, the Sudanese police authorities have intensified preparedness to secure the match and announced measures to avoid any violence that could possibly arise before, during or after the match. In this respect, Director of Emergency and Operations Department at the Sudanese Police Maj. Gen. Bahar-Eddin Abdalla told Xinhua today that his department has adopted the necessary arrangements to secure the match and prevent any violence or loss in lives and properties. "The police authorities have worked out a comprehensive plan to deal with the event before, during and after the match, taking into account the reasons which led to injuries of some fans during the last match", he said, noting that his department has increased the number of the policemen entrusted with securing the match. He reiterated that the police authorities were reassured that no riots or chaos would break out during the match, urging the Sudanese football fans to illustrate the sport spirit and heartily accept the result whatever it is. "Stadium security forces will search the fans at the gates of Al- Merreikh stadium, which hosts the match, to ensure that no loudspeakers or harming materials would be taken into the stadium", said Abdalla. Meanwhile, observers have expressed fear that the two teams' fans would behave in a manner that would kill the sport spirit and prompt violence and riots from which the Sudanese football fields have been secured for years. In this connection, sport critic and editor-in-chief of Al- Zaeem sport newspaper Muawiya Al-Jack, attributed the stadium riots in the Sudanese summit teams' matches to edginess of the sport journalists who have "negatively stirred" the fans of the two teams. "Breaking out of violence inside or outside the stadium is likely, but not definite as the two teams have already qualified to the finals and they compete only to top the group", Al-Jack told Xinhua. "Therefore, it is not likely that the fans of the two teams would resort to violence or sabotage. I expect the fans to heartily accept the result, particularly after the administrations of the two clubs have urged their fans to listen to the sound of mind and commit themselves to sport discipline", he added. The draw for the CAF Confederation Cub Championship brought three Sudanese teams in Group B, something which happened for the first time in CAF history. The group included the Sudanese clubs of, Al- Merreikh, Al-Ahly Shendi and Al-Hilal which tops the group with 11 points, in addition to Interclube of Angola. Al-Hilal and Al- Merreikh have actually qualified to the golden square of this championship where the winner of Saturday's match will play the final at home if qualified to the final match.