Football-Egypt - Worried by incessant crowd violence at football matches, the Egyptian Football Association (EFA) announced here Wednesday that the interior ministry had vowed to tighten security and prevent the use of fireworks in stadiums.

EFA chairman Samir Zaher, told a news conference following a meeting with interior minister Mansour Al-Essawy, that the Police would tighten security in all stadiums before and after matches.

Zaher added that the clubs had been assigned the responsibility to ensure that their fans abandoned the use of fireworks, which violate the regulations and threaten the security of the players and fans alike.

The excessive use of pyrotechnics, resulting in frequent crowd violence, prompted the EFA to slam Cairo giants, Ahly and Zamalek, with playing in empty stadiums.

Both clubs, the most popular in Egypt, were also forced to play away from home.

Pana 03/11/2011