Faisali fans freed from Egypt police custody

AMMAN — A number of Jordanian football fans arrested in Egypt following a match were released on Monday, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Sabah Al Rafie told The Jordan Times. 

The football fans were arrested after the Arab Clubs Championship's final on Sunday between Jordan’s Al Faisali and Tunisia’s Al Taraji, which clinched the title after a debatable 3-2 win. 

Jordan’s Ambassador to Egypt Ali Al Ayed confirmed in a statement sent to The Jordan Times that all the fans who were arrested in Alexandria had been set free.  

The Jordanian diplomat commended the cooperation of the Egyptian government in resolving the issue. 

Ayed was quoted by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, as saying that all the 38 detainees were freed and they were scheduled to take the first flight to Amman. By the time this story went to print, the youth and the football team were en route to Amman. 

Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said on Twitter earlier that the ministry was following up on the situation through its ambassador in Egypt adding that efforts to resolve the issue were ongoing. 

The fans were accused of rioting and vandalism after the final encounter, which crowned a series of wins by Jordan’s champion, including defeating Egypt’s Al Ahli twice during the tournament. 

The referee’s decisions have been blamed for the reported violence of the Jordanian football fans.

MP Motaz Abu Rumman, who also attended the match, said in a video posted on Facebook that seven of them were under the age of 18.