Breaking News : 11 death sentences referred to Grand #Mufti over #PortSaid stadium violence

Over 70 supporters of Ahly football club were killed after a match with Masry on 1 February 2012

Death sentences handed to 11 defendants convicted of participating in the Port Said Stadium disaster of 2012 were referred to the Grand Mufti for approval on Sunday.

Referral to the Grand Mufti is a necessary procedure before issuing a 21 death sentences , according to Egyptian law, though the religious opinion of the Mufti is non-binding.

The court has set 30 May for the date of the final verdict and placed a gag order on the case. 

Defendants hold the right to appeal against the verdict. 

Seventy-three defendants stood retrial on charges of killing of over 70 Ahly fans after a match with Masry football club on 1 February 2012.

A bloodstained seat in Port Said stadium following the 1 February, 2012 disaster

Nine police officials were tried in the case but none of them were among the 11 who received the death sentence. 

In January 2013, a court sentenced 21 Masry fans to death while delaying the sentences on 52 others for legal reasons.

Ahly fans welcomed the sentences but were angered that none of the nine police officers tried in the case were convicted. More than 48 people were killed in protests after the verdict in Port Said.

In March 2013, an appeal court upheld the 21 death sentences, sentenced five people to life in jail and ordered jail sentences on the others, including 15 years for two police officers.

Another 28 people were acquitted, including seven policemen.

In February 2014, the court accepted a prosecution appeal in the case, ordering a retrial.

FIFA concerned over spate of forfeited matches in Africa

FIFA is concerned at the way a succession of African teams have broken rules on player eligibility in World Cup qualifiers and will address the problem, director of competitions Mustapha Fahmy said on Friday

Eight matches have been forfeited during the competition because one of the teams involved fielded a player who was ineligible either under nationality rules or through suspension.

In each case, a 3-0 walkover was awarded to the offending team's opponents which in several cases had a significant affect on the outcome of the respective group.

"We have noted with some concern what has happened with a number of teams falling foul to the rules of the competition, which are clearly spelt out," Fahmy told the Confederation of African Football (CAF) website.

"This only happened with one continent, Africa... others, like Europe, Asia or South America did not experience the same problems where disciplinary action had to be taken.

"We need to look into what happened and work on finding solutions and ways to assist (so we can avoid) similar occurrences in future," added Fahmy, a former CAF secretary general.

"We will come up with possible solutions and discuss them in our relevant courses with member associations. FIFA will aim to provide means and ways to help, so that we address something that obviously went wrong.

"We are always looking to improve and provide better organisation for all our competitions."

The most recent case cost Cape Verde a place in the final round of playoff matches which will determine Africa's five teams at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

Cape Verde topped their group after winning 2-0 in Tunisia but were found to have fielded a player who should have been serving a four-match ban and were penalised with a 3-0 defeat. Tunisia, whose coach Nabil Maaloul resigned after the defeat, took their place and will face Cameroon over two legs with Dutchman Rudi Krol as their former coach.

Cape Verde had themselves been on the other end of a similar case when they lost 4-3 to Equatorial Guinea, only to be given a 3-0 win because their opponents fell foul of the rules.

FIFA concerned over spate of forfeited matches in Africa

FIFA is concerned at the way a succession of African teams have broken rules on player eligibility in World Cup qualifiers and will address the problem, director of competitions Mustapha Fahmy said on Friday

Eight matches have been forfeited during the competition because one of the teams involved fielded a player who was ineligible either under nationality rules or through suspension.

In each case, a 3-0 walkover was awarded to the offending team's opponents which in several cases had a significant affect on the outcome of the respective group.

"We have noted with some concern what has happened with a number of teams falling foul to the rules of the competition, which are clearly spelt out," Fahmy told the Confederation of African Football (CAF) website.

"This only happened with one continent, Africa... others, like Europe, Asia or South America did not experience the same problems where disciplinary action had to be taken.

"We need to look into what happened and work on finding solutions and ways to assist (so we can avoid) similar occurrences in future," added Fahmy, a former CAF secretary general.

"We will come up with possible solutions and discuss them in our relevant courses with member associations. FIFA will aim to provide means and ways to help, so that we address something that obviously went wrong.

"We are always looking to improve and provide better organisation for all our competitions."

The most recent case cost Cape Verde a place in the final round of playoff matches which will determine Africa's five teams at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

Cape Verde topped their group after winning 2-0 in Tunisia but were found to have fielded a player who should have been serving a four-match ban and were penalised with a 3-0 defeat. Tunisia, whose coach Nabil Maaloul resigned after the defeat, took their place and will face Cameroon over two legs with Dutchman Rudi Krol as their former coach.

Cape Verde had themselves been on the other end of a similar case when they lost 4-3 to Equatorial Guinea, only to be given a 3-0 win because their opponents fell foul of the rules.