11 sentenced to death over football riot

11 men have been sentenced to death by an Egyptian court for their involvement in a 2012 football riot in the city of Port Said, Al Jazeera reports.

In the said riot, fans of the winning al-Masry team invaded the pitch seconds after the Port Said match with al-Ahly, Egypt's top football team, leaving 73 people trampled to death and over 1,000 people injured in the ensuing chaos.

The sentence however still requires the approval of Egypt's most senior religious authority, the Grand Mufti. The convicted men can also appeal, a process that may take several years.

According to Judge Mohamed al-Saeed Mohamed who spoke in a court session,

"With the agreement of all members, the case will be sent to the Grand Mufti to give his Islamic opinion on the defendants' fate"

A later court hearing will be held on May 30th.