CAIRO: The assault of Egyptian fans by Algerian football hooligans after the World Cup qualifier match between Egypt and Algeria in Khartoum last week has triggered angry criticism on the streets of Egypt.
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.
Rami Hassan, the managing director of a construction company, said if Algeria does not officially apologize then it should be boycotted. "The only thing that could defuse the tension between the two countries is if Algeria officially condemns these acts and admits that those responsible are Algerian thugs and that the country is not responsible for what they did," he said.
Office manager Engy Samir said Algerians should be disciplined and banned from participating in the tournament.
Moamen Zakaria, 14, said Algerian people lack sportsmanship. "After our victory against Algeria 2-0 at the qualifier match held in Egypt we celebrated with fireworks, chanting, dancing and waving of flags ... we didn't hate or kill or damage. What is the point of participating in sports if it is going to turn into a war?" he said.
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.
"No one expected there would be Algerian fans outside the stadium with weapons to assault Egyptians coming out of the stadium," he said.
He added that if the situation was not wisely resolved then people from both countries would continue hating each other for many decades.
Heba Okasha, a Ph.D. in fashion designing, said the Algerian government is responsible for the violence as it allowed thugs to attend the match, while Egypt sent celebrities, media personalities and intellectuals -- including President Hosni Mubarak's sons, Gamal and Alaa -- who are incapable of violence.
