EGYPT: Algerian ambassador summoned to clarify post-football match incidents

Egypt's Foreign Ministry announced that Algeria's ambassador in Cairo Abdel Qader Hadjar has been called on to explain the violence against Egyptians living in Algeria following the two countries' football World Cup qualifier, the ministry's official spokesman Hossam Zaki confirmed.

Relations between the two countries have been recently marred by football fanaticism, which reached its peak right before and after the crucial match that ended when Egypt defeated Algeria 2-0 at Cairo International Stadium on Saturday.

In addition to the loss, Algerians' emotions were further provoked when Al Chourouk newspaper wrote that six of their fans died in clashes after the game. The allegation was denied by Hadjar, who said that no less than eleven of his fellow countrymen were injured but no deaths happened.

Since then, a number of attacks on members of the Egyptian community in Algeria have been reported.

On Monday, Egypt Air regional manager Nasser Mohamed Aladdin announced that the airline's bureau in Algiers was seriously damaged by Algerians who broke into its premises on Sunday evening. Aladdin added that Egypt Air decided to temporarily close the office in fear for its staff's safety.

Officials at the Egyptian-owned Orascom Telecom said that their subsidiaries' buildings in Algiers were similarly battered by stones and Molotov cocktails, and the head of Egypt's Arab Contractors said his company's branch was also assaulted but none of its workers was harmed.

After opening the score line in the third minute Saturday, Egypt hit a second in the game's dying seconds to be level on both points and goal difference with Algeria. The two teams, which share a history of animosity, will now meet in a one-match playoff in Khartoum, Sudan, on Wednesday, with the winner qualifying directly to summer's World Cup in South Africa.

--Amro Hassan in Cairo

Photo: A bus carrying Algerian players was damaged in Cairo. Credit: Mohamed Messara / EPA
 

Comments

[Loqman eldjazairi]

It was just a soccer game between brothers but the politicians got involved and as usual hell broke loose.

Who are the loosers? your average Algerians and Egyptians.

[JediKnight29]

This article wasn't written by an Egyptian by any chance? Oh wait yes it was, right, right, makes sense. LA Times might want to check its sources before printing such nonsense next time. You might want to read the AP article in USA Today about the Algerian National Football team being treated for head lacerations, and playing in Cairo wrapped in bandages after fans attacked them; The Egyptian police supposed to be escorting the team hung back and watched it happen. My animosity for Egyptians has increased exponentially (particularly since reading this article) given their lack of honesty surrounding the event.

Did the Egyptian national squad play in bandages when they played in Algiers last month, where the Algerians soundly thrashed them 3-1?

The Egyptian authorities have a habit of being aggressive and then playing the victim. The 'Phaoroes' thought the Algerians would lie down for them, but they did not factor in the fierce sense of justice and fairplay of the Algerians.

***Algeria has qualified for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa after beating Egypt in Sudan : )

p.s 1/3 of Egypt's 'Orascom Telecom' revenues come from Algeria. Fund manager's might want to short the Egyptian Telco in light of Algerians throwing the 'Djezzy' sim cards away and opting for other providers...

p.p.s Also read the Christian Science Monitor's article for unbiased reporting.

[Aksil]

@ahmed-egypt:
Again! Norther-africans are not ARABS! We are amazighs (berbers). Islam has been "attempting" for many centuries now to make us vanish like it occurred to many other cultures and civilizations where it succeeded to do so...just like the vanished great african pharaoh's civilization, right?!
Arabs still REFUSE to consider themselves Asians and embrasse their natural boundaries. That is the same pattern for egyptians (of today) rejecting the concept of being africans. This is a sick mentality fueled by a sick ideology doomed to extinction.
Are you still willing to take over the planed?
Respect to other human beings, please!

[Aksil]

Short words:
- Egypt has done it many times, like aginst Zimbabwe in 1993 and other countries as well.
FIFA should have cancelled the game and barre Egypt.
This would have prevented this escalation, and gave a chance to Egypt to behave in the future, and come back a more fair play nation when it comes to sports.
- Another option: Since Egyptians do not consider themselves africans (it's a shame according to the arabo-islamic ideology: Africans are tagged by arabs as AABEEDS wich means SLAVES) then, consider Egypt to play with their neighboring arab counties among the Asian Poll (arabs are Asians anyway!) and let us north-african countrie enjoy Football with our A-F-R-I-C-A-N brothers.

[ahmed-egypt]

my arab algerian brother, clashes between football fans happens every where, and u know very well what happens in football matches in algeria where clashes victims are common, while in egypt and u know that well how many fans died in egypt. the unacceptable is the attack of MAD FURIOUS FOOTBALL FANS on innocent people in there homes!!!!do u call that ISLAM???fan clashes in egypt in saturday happened in the STREET and NO ONE DIED. I predict that next Wednesday match is going to be a disaster if egypt wins, and sudan did make a mistake when it decided to issue a 24 hour free visa for the algerian fans with no interviews or examination. I really hope that the match and the fans goes peacefully

[alaa in cairo]

I am ashamed to be an Arab.

[Mara]

Good God, people...it's only SOCCER!

[khaled]

This article is apparently written by an egyptian, and it is utterly biased (There is a media war going on between egypt and Algeria) . It gives only one side of the events. What happened is that the algerian players Bus was attacked by egyptian fans 2 days before the game once they arrived to Cairo. This attack was very dangerous with big rocks and it caused serious injuries to 4 main players and a concusion to the algerian coach of the goalkeeper. Of course the videos and pictures of the attack and the injured players covered with blood are all over the internet and world media. And above all of these, the egyptian autorities did not apologise for this attack, but rather and laughably it accused the algerian players ( most of them are high professionals playing on european leagues) of faking this whole event. These incidents and the stance of the egyptian autorities make the algerian people react by sabbotaging the egyptian businesses in algeria.

Finally, I want to add that egyptian authorities wants by all means ( even immoral) to win the match and go the world cup, so that power transfer from President Mubarak to his son go smooth.

Please also refer to this article which explains the events that happened from a french doctor and french journalist who were with the algerian team once the dangerous attack occured.
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/soccer/2009-11-17-645324319_x.htm

P.S
I trust in american democracy, and I hope that the moderator of los angeles times publish my comments unedited