Twenty five people were killed as police and fans clashed during a soccer match in Egypt Sunday night.

The riot broke out when police barred soccer fans from entering the Air Defense Stadium in Cairo in a bid to regulate the number of people going in. This has been the next big soccer match riot since the 2012 match in the city of Port Said that killed at least 74 people.

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Thousands of ticketless fans forced their way into the stadium causing a stampede. 

"Because of the stampede, some choked and died from asphyxiation, while the rest died from being trampled," police said.

Only 10,000 tickets were sold for the match between Egyptian Premier League clubs Zamalek and ENPPI.  The stadium had a capacity of 30,000.

In its Facebook page, Zamalek fans, known as "White Knights," claimed authorities only opened one narrow, barbed-wire door to let them in. This, they said, triggered a crowd crush that prompted police to fire tear gas into the fans.

A Zamalek fan recounted how security forces began firing tear gas without warning, as fans waited behind a corridor fence. 

"The smell of the gas burned the face," said Zamalek fan Abdel Rahman Ben Kamal. "People fell to the ground and they were stepped on, and I was one of them, but there were people below me," he added.

Soccer matches are often a venue of violence in Egypt. Hard-core soccer fans, commonly known as Ultras, frequently clash with police. The brawls were deeply politicized, as fans played a key role in the country's 2011 uprising that ousted President Hosni Mubarak.

The public prosecution has ordered the arrest of the leaders of the Zamalek White Knights.

Despite the violence, football authorities proceeded with the match that ended with a 1-1 draw.  

In a statement, the Cabinet said it is postponing the national league championship indefinitely.

Just over two weeks ago, some 20 civilians were killed in clashes with police on the eve of the January 25 anniversary of the Arab Spring revolt.

Tagsclash, Egypt, Soccer, Air Defense Stadium, deadly riot, Arab Spring