video transcript

Smoke billows from the Egyptian Football Federation building in Cairo. This facility and a police social club were set aflame Saturday after a court acquitted several security officials charged after a soccer riot in Port Said, in which more than 70 people died. The court also confirmed death sentences for 21 people sentenced in January and handed out sentences varying from life in prison to a year in jail for others involved in the deadly riot. But that was not enough for some football fans who also blame police and security forces for the incident. The ruling also provoked protests in Port Said where the army is maintaining security after the government withdrew police. Protesters gathered at docks and unmoored boats in the hope they would block the Suez Canal, one of Egypt's largest economic drivers. The canal city has suffered weeks of unrest as residents engaged in pitched battles with police. Eight have died in the last week, including three police officers. The controversial case has highlighted the country's worsening security situation after the overthrow of Hosni Mubarak two years ago.