Soccer hooligans: Egyptian street still simmering
Algerian hooligans attacked the Egyptian national team and fans following Algeria's victory over Egypt 1-0. As a result tensions have reached a point that now threaten Egyptian-Algerian relations.
Protesting against the violence, crowds of Egyptians burned the Algerian flag in Cairo and clashed with riot police near the Algerian Embassy. The protesters -- with support from the Egyptian media -- are calling on the Egyptian government to expel the Algerian ambassador and boycott Algeria.
Prominent Egyptian media personalities have also submitted a petition that includes signatures of thousands of Egyptians and Arabs calling on FIFA to disqualify Algeria from participating in the World Cup.
Attendees at the closing of the "Cairo Film Festival" protested against Algeria. Egypt's Minister of Culture Farouk Hosni said nothing should affect the Cairo Film Festival. Celebrities expressed their dissatisfaction at what happened in Khartoum and spoke about sportsmanship with a number of Egyptian and Arab celebrities condemning the violence.
Accountant Ahmad Maher said 15,000 Sudanese police had been deployed at the match to prevent trouble. "They took all precautions to protect Egyptian fans and prevent the two sides from meeting. They started evacuating Egyptian spectators first and kept Algerian fans inside the stadium to celebrate until the Egyptians had left, but what happened was unexpected and a surprise to all," he said; Kazinform cites Arab News. See www.arabnews.com for full version.