Demonstrating fans from Tripoli’s Al-Ittihad Football Club set fire to part of Prime Minister Abdel Hamid Aldabaiba’s Tripoli Cabinet Office on Sikka Road yesterday evening.
The demonstrating Al-Ittihad fans were protesting against the calling-off of their club’s football match earlier in the evening against the Misrata-based Al-Suwaihli football club. PM Aldabaiba is from Misrata.
The referee had decided to suspend the match, being held in the neutral location of Tarhuna (90 km and about 120 minutes’ drive south of Tripoli), three minutes before the end of regulation time after several perceived refereeing decisions in favour of the Misrata-based club. The match was part of the third round of the Libyan Premier League championship playoffs.
Reacting to the suspension of the match, some fans stormed the field, causing some damage and burning an outside broadcasting vehicle. The army forces at the match, the 444 Brigade led by a Misratan, counter-reacted to the hooliganism and rioting by the fans by, reportedly, opening fire using live ammunition. The situation spiralled. A soldier is reported by some Libyan media sources to have been killed – probably by friendly fire.
The news of the suspension of the match in Tarhuna and the reported firing of live ammunition spread to the Tripoli based Al-Ittihad football clubs Tripoli fans, who reacted by demonstrating at the PM’s Cabinet Office. It is reported that at the Cabinet Office, security forces again fired live ammunition to disperse the demonstrating fans. Fire was set to parts of the Cabinet Office, which was eventually put out.
Calm is reported to have returned this morning.
