Report: At least 40 dead in violence at football game in Cairo

At least 40 people have been killed and dozens injured after clashes erupted between police and supporters of Egypt's Zamalek football club at a game in Cairo, medics say.

According to witness accounts, police tried to set up barricades and used tear gas to disperse football fans trying to force their way into the army-owned stadium in the city's northeast on Sunday.

The Egyptian Interior Ministry said that the clashes occurred after supporters of Zamalek, known as Ultras White Knights, tried to attend the game without buying tickets.

But according to fans, authorities only opened up one narrow barbed-wire door into the stadium, sparking the incident.

Ultras accused the police of using violence to try and pacify the crowd - a claim authorities denied.

Many of the dead appeared to have died of suffocation after a stampede erupted.

Many of those injured suffered broken bones and bruising, the Health Ministry said according to state news agency MENA.

Abdul Musa, a football journalist based in London, said the Ultras had been threatening to cause violence at recent events.

"That's why there was a lot of police force today in Cairo," he told Al Jazeera.

Musa said Ultras - "some of the fiercest fans in Africa" who are known for violent riots - were banned from entering the stadium on Sunday.

"They were not allowed to go in. They tried to force their way in and police reacted violently," he said.

The match continued despite the violence, provoking further outrage among the fans.

Following the incident, the Egyptian government said it had decied to postpone the Premier League until further notice.

Previous deadly match

In February 2012, a riot broke out at a match in Port Said, where the home Al-Masry fans attacked Cairo's Al-Ahly supporters with explosives, knives and broken glass.

At least 72 Al-Ahly supporters were killed and more than 500 people injured.

After that incident, the interim Egyptian government banned domestic league football for two years.

Last month, Al-Ahly and Al-Masry faced each other in the first game since the 2012 riot.

Ultras, who are known for challenging authority, supported the Egyptian revolution in 2011, joining other Egyptians calling for change.

Ultras have often clashed with security forces at matches.

[Al Jazeera]