Al Masry Club Stadium
Al Masry Club Stadium (Egyptian Arabic: ستاد النادي المصري), formerly known as Port Said Stadium (Egyptian Arabic: ستاد بور سعيد), was a multi-use all-seated stadium in Al Manakh, Port Said, Egypt, which was mostly used for football and was the home of Al Masry since 1958 and until the Port Said Stadium riot in 2012. In 2021, the stadium was closed to prepare for the demolition process, which was completed in mid-2022.
| ستاد النادي المصري | |
 | |
| Former names | Port Said Stadium |
|---|---|
| Location | Al Manakh, Port Said, Egypt |
| Owner | Al Masry Sporting Club[1] |
| Operator | Al Masry |
| Capacity | 18,000 |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 16 October 1955 |
| Closed | 2019 |
| Demolished | 4 July 2021 |
| Architect | Vasilios Trivoulides |
| Tenants | |
| Al Masry (1955–2012; 2018) | |
The stadium, which had a seating capacity of 18,000, was opened on 16 October 1955, and was the main sports venue in Port Said. It was completely demolished in 2022, and a new sports complex is currently being built in the same area that will include a new stadium.
The stadium also hosted some matches in tournaments held in Egypt, including 1997 FIFA U-17 World Championship, 2006 Africa Cup of Nations, 2007 Pan Arab Games Football Tournament and 2009 FIFA U-20 World Cup.
Port Said Stadium riot
On 1 February 2012, following a league match between Al Masry and Al Ahly, the Port Said Stadium riot took place, which resulted in the deaths of 72 Al Ahly fans, alongside 1 Al Masry supporter and 1 police officer, making it the deadliest tragedy in Egyptian sporting history.[2] Some were stabbed and clubbed, while others were thrown off the stands or died in a crowd crush as they were trying to escape through a closed stadium gate in the back of the stands.[3] Hisham Sheha, an official in the Egyptian health ministry, said the deaths were caused by stab wounds, brain hemorrhages, and concussions.[4] Over 500 were injured.
Later history
Al Masry continued to use the stadium as a training ground, and hosted friendly matches on the ground; usually against the youth team or other local clubs
On 5 January 2016, Port Said governor Adel El Ghadban agreed to transfer the stadium's ownership to Al Masry and changing its name to Al Masry Club Stadium as a result.
The stadium was banned from hosting any official football matches following the 2012 incident, with an exception made in 2018 when the stadium hosted all Al Masry home fixtures in their CAF Confederation Cup campaigns during the 2018 and 2018–19 seasons. The last official match hosted by the stadium was played on 15 December 2018; a 2–0 defeat against Salitas from Burkina Faso.
On 17 February 2019, the stadium was announced as one of the venues to host the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, however, on 13 March, the stadium was replaced by Al Salam Stadium in Cairo after discovering a major problem with one of the stadium's main stands.[5] The stand's infrastructure was severely damaged and irreparable, and had to be completely demolished. Later, a decision was made to completely demolish the whole stadium and build a new one on the same location.
In late 2019, the stadium was closed to prepare for the demolition process, which was originally scheduled to take place in 2020, but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Egypt. More than one year later, demolition work finally began on 4 July 2021, and was completed in June 2022.[6]
References
- "محطات مهمة في تاريخ ستاد الدوري المصري" [History of Al Masry Club Stadium]. Al Masry online (in Arabic). 10 February 2018. Retrieved 24 March 2018.
- "In pictures: Jubilation in Cairo, riots in Port Said". Independent.co.uk. 26 January 2013.
- Tarek, Sherif (3 February 2012). "Egypt military rulers accused of instigating Port Said disaster". Ahram Online. Al-Ahram Publishing House.
- Michael, Maggie (1 February 2012). "Egyptians Blame Military for Deadly Soccer Riot". Yahoo News. Associated Press. Retrieved 6 August 2015.
- "Al Salam stadium to replace Port Said in AFCON". KingFut. 13 March 2019. Retrieved 5 July 2023.
- "بدء أعمال هدم استاد النادي المصري في بورسعيد" [Al Masry Club Stadium demolition process in Port Said starts today]. Masrawy (in Arabic). 4 July 2021. Retrieved 5 July 2021.