Egypt mourns 20-year-old football female fans dying after Ahly victory

Hundreds of Egyptians joined the burial service of two female football fans who lost their lives in a road accident earlier this week following a football match between the Cairo-based Al-Ahly Club and the Alexandria Al-Ittihad Club in the local Premier League.  

The names of two Egyptian women, both aged 20, Narges Saleh and Nourhan Nasser, who were college students, have been trending on social media over the past 48 hours as football fans across the country sadly shared pictures and video clips of them celebrating the victory of Ahly for the last time.

Ahly is known for being the most popular football club in Egypt, with the highest victory rates in the country's history over its challengers.

Local news outlets reported that on Tuesday, 18 June, a truck driver reportedly hit the two close friends as they crossed the highway outside Burj El-Arab stadium on the outskirts of the Mediterranean city of Alexandria. They died from their sustained injuries shortly after being rushed to a nearby hospital.

The suspect has been remanded in custody, pending further investigations, after the local prosecutor ordered him to undergo a test for narcotics.

The local prosecution's office has further ordered all surveillance footage taken by cameras on the road be analysed by the crime lab for more insight into the case.

The tragic death of the two young women has evoked sympathy all over Egypt and beyond, prompting Saudi royal advisor and businessman, Turki Al Al-Sheikh, also known for his investments in Egyptian football, to mourn them on his Facebook page and invite their families to Saudi Arabia to perform the Umrah ritual in Mecca City and visit Medina, the home of Muslim Prophet Muhammed's mosque.

Ahly Club head, former legendary footballer Mahmoud El-Khatib and other iconic football figures officially mourned the two young women. A delegation of the Ahly board members represented the club in their burial service on Wednesday and expressed their condolences to the two distressed families.  

No further details on the incident have yet been released by the authorities. It remains unclear whether the driver fled the scene or stayed and claimed responsibility.

"Several factors are expected to be legally considered, as per the Egyptian law, when prosecuting a driver who caused the death or the injury of a pedestrian such as driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, illegal speed limit and mechanical malfunction," lawyer Mohamed Ibrahim told The New Arab.

"But since the case has been trending on social media platforms, the driver is expected to face trial before the court of public opinion first, and even expected to attract attention to traffic laws in the country," he added.