The verdict from the Court of Cassation is final and cannot be appealed.

It also upheld a lower court's sentencing of 10 men to 15 years in jail, 14 men to 10 years, and 15 men to five years for charges of attempted murder and murder.

The rioting erupted in February 2012, at the end of a league match in the city of Port Said between Cairo's Al-Ahly, Egypt's most successful club, and Al-Masry.

Following the full time whistle, Al-Masry fans rushed to attack Al-Ahly supporters after they unfurled derogatory banners.

Witnesses and survivors described victims falling from the stands as they tried to escape but most damage was inflicted when hundreds of supporters fled into an exit passage, only to be crushed against a locked gate.

The violence at the stadium then went on to cause riots in Cairo, during which a further 16 people died.

As a result of the riot, Egypt's top league was suspended for over a year but, when it later resumed, matches were played in empty stadiums.

The first Egyptian Premier League game in which fans were allowed into stadiums was played in February 2015 but that occasion was also overshadowed by the death of 22 fans.

Supporters of Zamalek SC, the second biggest club in the city, were reportedly trying to gain access to the Air Defense Stadium for their match with rivals ENPPI without tickets, which caused the police to fire tear gas and shotgun pellets at fans.

People were killed after a stampede ensured, while others lost their lives as a result of choking and asphyxiation.