Masry appeal EFA sanctions following Port Said tragedy

Masry have lodged an appeal with the Egyptian Football Association (EFA) against the sanctions it imposed on the club in the wake of the Port Said Stadium disaster. The club was banned for two seasons after a pitch invasion by thousands of supporters following an Egyptian Premier League match at home to Ahly left at least 74 dead and hundreds injured on 1 February. However, they will effectively serve a one-term ban, given that this season's Premier League was called off by the EFA. The EFA has also decided to shut Port Said's Stadium for three years. The decisions enraged Masry's die-hard supporters, who staged several demonstrations to protest against the punishments. "Legal experts have prepared the documents that were sent to the EFA today. The documents clarify Masry's position before, during and after the match against Ahly," the club's financial manager Ragab Abdel-Kader said on Sunday. "They prove that the club had asked authorities to postpone the match, given security concerns in the city." Seventy-three people are facing trial over Egypt's worst sporting disaster, including nine security officials in Port Said and three Masry club officials. The trial will begin on 17 April.