Eleven football fans have had their death sentences upheld after a retrial over a stadium riot in Egypt which left 74 people dead . The riot erupted in February 2012 when supporters of home team Al-Masry - from the canal city of Port Said - and Cairo 's Al-Ahly clashed after an Egyptian league match between the two clubs . An appeals court ordered the retrial of 73 defendants last year after rejecting a lower court 's verdict , which sentenced 21 people to death . Scroll down for video . Eleven football fans have had their death sentences upheld after a retrial over a stadium riot ( pictured ) in Egypt which left 74 people dead . The riot ( pictured ) erupted in February 2012 when supporters of home team Al-Masry - from the canal city of Port Said - and Cairo 's Al-Ahly clashed after an Egyptian league match . The clashes in the Port Said stadium ( pictured ) sparked days of violent protests in Cairo , which led to another 16 deaths . Eleven of the fans were again sentenced to death today , with their verdicts referred to Egypt 's supreme court , the Grand Mufti . The court will make a final decision on their fates , as well as those of the other defendants , on May 30 . The 73 defendants include nine police officers and three officials from Al-Masry club , while the rest were fans of the team . Two of those sentenced to death are on the run . None of the families of the victims or of the defendants attended today 's court session , which was held in Cairo for security reasons . The clashes in the Port Said stadium sparked days of violent protests in Cairo , in which another 16 people were killed in fighting with security forces . The football riots ( pictured ) were the deadliest ever seen in Egypt , where football fans regularly clash with rival supporters and security forces . An appeals court ordered the retrial of 73 defendants last year after rejecting a lower court 's verdict , which sentenced 21 people to death over the riots ( pictured ) Egyptian policemen stand guard as families place portraits of those who died during a football match between Egyptian teams Al-Ahly and Al-Masri in 2012 . A year later , dozens of people also died in the canal city during riots which started after the lower court handed down the 21 original death sentences . The football riots were the deadliest ever seen in Egypt , where football fans regularly clash with rival supporters and security forces . The authorities reacted by imposing a ban on fans attending matches and held games behind closed doors . This year at least 22 people died in a stampede after police fired tear gas at fans trying to force their way into a stadium in Cairo , leading the authorities to suspend the Egyptian league . Television footage showed crowds of supporters squeezed inside a narrow metal enclosure , jostling to enter the stadium when the stampede began as police fired tear gas . The police blame the unrest on Islamists . Sixteen suspects accused of clashing with police on that day have been arrested and will face trial . Egypt 's hardcore football fans , known as the 'ultras ' , often clash with police and were at the forefront of protests against former president Hosni Mubarak , who was overthrown in 2011 .
Eleven Egyptian football fans protested the death penalty over a match in 2012 . protests after a match in Port Said left 74 dead and sparked more protests . federal courts last officially ordered retrial after 21 fans given death sentence . Two of the 11 supporters given the death penalty today are still on the run .