The Egyptian Premier League will resume in March with supporters banned from attending matches.
The competition had been suspended following a stampede and clash, between police and fans of football club outside a stadium in Cairo, Egypt’s capital on February 8, which left at least 19 people dead.
After a meeting on Wednesday, Egypt’s cabinet said in a statement, that the league would resume “without fans after the mourning period of 40 days”.
It did not say precisely when matches would resume, or when fans might return.
However, local reports suggest the league would not resume before the Egypt economic summit, which had been scheduled to take place in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el Sheikh in mid-March.
The tragedy occurred when police used tear gas to clear the fans trying to force their way into a league match between two Cairo clubs, Zamalek and Enppi, leading to a stampede.
Soccer matches are often a flash-point for violence in Egypt, where 72 fans were killed at a match in Port Said in February 2012.
Since then, Egypt has curbed the number of people allowed to attend and supporters have often tried to storm stadiums they are banned from entering.
Despite the violence, the match went ahead and ended with a 1-1 draw.
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