Several injured in clashes between Egyptian soccer fans, police

Several people were injured Thursday evening in clashes between soccer fans of Egypt's Ahly club and police forces at a Cairo stadium, where Ahly beat Tunisia's Sfaxien 3-2 and won the African Super Cup.

"The Ahly fans were fine during the match until they used excessive fireworks that caused panic among the spectators," a Xinhua correspondent said, noting the fireworks' spark was the fuse leading to the clashes after some fans shouted anti-police slogans and ran into the court.

"The riotous fans threw water bottles and fireworks at the security men who responded with tear gas," the correspondent said, adding gunshots were heard outside the stadium and a number of fans and policemen were seriously injured.

The match was held amid security concerns as Egypt witnessed deadly soccer riots in early February 2012 in the coastal city of Port Said, which left more than 70 dead and dozens injured.

Since the riots, the Egyptian authorities suspended the local premier league competition until February 2013, when the Egyptian Football Association held a game without any spectators.

So far, Egypt's local matches have been held without the participation of fans for security reasons.