( CNN ) -- The deaths of more than 70 football fans shortly after a match between Cairo 's Al Ahly club and the Al Masry club in Port Said , Egypt , shocked the world . More than 1,000 more were injured in scenes that will leave an indelible mark on post-revolution Egypt -- because in Egypt soccer matters perhaps more than anywhere . Passions have always run high in Egyptian football . The Cairo derby between Al Ahly and their rivals Zamalek is the biggest football match in Africa , and has to be held at a neutral venue , usually with a neutral foreign referee , to combat a history of enmity and violence . Egypt in mourning as death toll rises . In 2009 , a World Cup qualifier between Egypt and Algeria sparked riots in Cairo , Algiers and beyond . But domestic football has also been on the frontline during the revolution that toppled former president Hosni Mubarak last year . For the past five years , highly organized and anti-authoritarian fan groups of `` Ultras , '' especially from Al Ahly and Zamalek , have been in conflict with the police at football grounds , objecting to the heavy handed treatment meted out to them by Mubarak 's forces . In a country that had little public space , there were two forums for dissent : the mosque and the football stadium . `` The whole concept of any independent organization did n't exist , not unions , not political parties , '' explained the leader of the Al Ahly ultras last April . See high-res images of the riots . `` Then we started to organize football ultras ... to them it was the youth , in big numbers -- very smart people -- who could mobilize themselves quickly . They feared us . '' When the revolution began , the groups joined forces and led many of the protests in Cairo 's Tahrir Square . Some even credit the ultras with a major role in several of the key battles . But that has n't endeared them to the authorities post revolution . How football fans toppled Mubarak . Since February , violence has continued to blight the game . The Egyptian Football Association even considered canceling last season 's league . Much of that was blamed on the security vacuum left when Mubarak 's hated police force melted back in to the population . Although other people -- and many within Egypt 's ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces [ SCAF ] -- view the ultras as the problem . CNN Arabic . In that context , the deaths of 79 fans -- most if not all hailing from Al Ahly -- at a football match will leave many within Egypt questioning how and why this has happened as the police watched on . SCAF has ordered the cancellation of the league as they deal with the worst civil disturbance to hit Egypt since the revolution . Al Ahly 's fans announced three days of mourning and took to the streets to protest , demanding answers . Wednesday 's tragedy will reverberate far beyond the pitch . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of James Montague .
Egypt 's health ministry says 79 people were killed in Wednesday 's clashes . The government blames the violence on Muslim Brotherhood supporters who have been protesting against President Mohamed Morsy since he took office last year. Anti-authoritarian fan groups of `` Ultras '' accused Mubarak regime of heavy handed treatment . When revolution began , groups joined forces and led many of the Cairo protests .