Egypt football federation delays league games

Egypt's Sports Ministry has decided to delay the start of the country's premier league for one month, following the storming by angry fans of the football association's headquarters.

Association head Amer Hussein told reporters Saturday that delaying games until Oct. 17 is to allow the 18 league teams to be paid from television stations broadcasting matches.

He did not cite as a reason the protest Wednesday by die-hard fans of Egypt's most popular team Al-Ahly. Fans are angry over the resumption of games despite the failure so far to bring to justice perpetrators of a February stadium riot that killed 74 people, mostly Al-Ahly supporters.

The federation shut down the league after the violence, but recently reversed the decision. Officials say games will be played without fans in attendance.