Today's verdict in the football stadium trial had raised fears of renewed violence in the strife-torn country. After the death sentences were first announced in January, the news had led to a series of violent protests in the Suez Canal city that left 40 people dead.
Shortly after the verdict was announced, thousands of fans of Cairo's Al-Ahly club went berserk, burning down a police club nearby and storming Egypt's football headquarters before setting it ablaze. Thick black smoke was seen billowing out over the Cairo skyline.
As feared, the verdict failed to defuse tensions at a time when the whole nation is grappling with a political crisis, a weak economy and intensifying opposition to the rule of Islamist President Mohammed Morsi.
In Port Said, fans of the local Al-Masry club also accused the court of unfairness.
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Ahead of the verdict, the army had assumed control in Port Said after the deadly unrest last week.
Meanwhile, police in some Egyptian provinces have been holding an unprecedented strike in protest at being used by Morsi's government to curb protests.