Egypt postpones football league

Sixteenth round of domestic league put back because of continued political unrest.

Mohamed Zidan
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Police surround protesters as security issues cause the domestic football league to be postponed [REUTERS]

The Egyptian football association has postponed the next round of premier league matches as a wave of anti-government protests ran into a third day.

The matches, originally scheduled for Friday and Saturday, would have represented the start of the second-half of the league season, and will be played at a later date.

The decision to postpone came after a request from security authorities in Egypt following nationwide demonstrations demanding the resignation of President Hosni Mubarak, who has ruled Egypt for nearly 30 years.

Protests

Egyptian police fought protesters in two cities in eastern Egypt on Thursday and Mohamed ElBaradei headed back to the country to join demonstrators trying to oust Mubarak.

In Ismailia, where one of the games was scheduled, hundreds of protesters clashed with police, who dispersed the crowds with tear gas.

The football association statement said the matches would be rescheduled for a later date.

Source: News Agencies