At least 19 football fans have died following a clash with police prior to an Egyptian match between Zamalek SC and ENPPI.

A number of Zamalek supporters were allegedly crushed to death after the authorities began firing tear gas at them outside of the Cairo stadium.

According to The Guardian, other fans have claimed that ticket-holding supporters were targeted by the police as they tried to gain entry to the ground, while the interior ministry have claimed that ticketless fans tried to force their way in.

A statement read: "Huge numbers of Zamalek club fans came to Air Defense Stadium to attend the match and tried to storm the gates by force. This prompted the troops to prevent them from continuing the assault."

Local press have reported that 30 people perished in the incident, while fans on Facebook have claimed that 28 lost their lives and the health ministry states that 19 have died.

All matches in the country have been suspended.