There have been several Arab-Israeli wars. There was an Iraq-Iran war. There was Iraq's invasion of Kuwait. There was the Sudanese government's war against southern Sudan, and the ongoing Darfur situation. There's a civil war in Yemen. Islamists all over are shedding blood. To these and other Middle East conflicts, large and small, we may have to add the 2009 soccer war between Algeria and Egypt.
It started on November 14, when enthusiastic Egyptian soccer fans threw stones and chunks of concrete at the bus taking the Algerian team from Cairo airport to their hotel. Egyptian sports officials blandly asserted that they were oranges, not rocks, to which one can only say, that was one hell of a bunch of oranges if they could smash bus windows, injuring three Algerian players.
Two days later Egypt beat Algeria 2-0, leading to the November 18 playoff in Sudan to determine which team would go to the 2010 World Cup. It was tense in Khartoum. The Egyptian Football Federation later said: "Egyptian fans, officials and players put their lives at risk before and after the game, under threat from weapons, knives, swords and flares."
Algeria won, 1-0. In high spirits after their victory, the cheerful Algerian soccer fans went after the Egyptians. Khartoum police said that several people were hurt. The Egyptian Health Ministry put the figure at 21 injured. Egyptian media reported one fatality, but the Egyptian Foreign Ministry denied this. The Egyptian ambassador to Sudan even claimed that Egyptian Special Forces were on their way to rescue besieged Egyptian soccer fans.
During the night of November 19-20 there was an angry demonstration in Cairo near the Algerian embassy. Egypt withdrew its ambassador to Algeria, on the usual pretext of "consultations." Alaa Mubarak, the son of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak (not Gamal Mubarak, the son Hosni wants to replace him) helpfully explained: "It is impossible that we as Egyptians take this, we have to stand up and say 'enough.' . . . When you insult my dignity . . . I will beat you on the head."
Egypt threatened to stop playing football for two years to protest the Algerian hooliganism. However, one might be tempted to believe that the threat was in response to the investigation by international football authorities into the November 14 Egyptian attack on the Algerian soccer bus.
Sudan's Foreign Minister got into the act too, after Egyptian media claimed that Sudanese protection for the Egyptians in Khartoum was unsatisfactory. The minister complained to the Egyptian ambassador that such reports were "false."
The Arab League, somewhat predictably, called for Arab unity. Its head, Amr Mussa, announced: "I call for a return to calm and reason on the Arab street. The affair must be restored to its true proportions, after all the Egyptians like the Algerians are Arabs."
The Saudi newspaper Arab News ("The Middle East's Leading English Language Daily") made the most sense. In an editorial the paper demanded:
"Why are the authorities in both countries apparently prepared to tolerate such lawlessness by so-called supporters of football? Even more to the point, why has not the sport's governing body FIFA acted decisively against this hooliganism? . . . One senior sports journalist yesterday made the cogent comment that if it had been a French or English team bus that had been attacked or an international star such as David Beckham or Thierry Henry who had been injured by missiles hurled from the stands, the uproar from FIFA would have been immediate and immense. Instead, because these were 'just' Algerian and Egyptian players, the violence did not matter to the anything like the same degree. Inherent in this approach is the deplorable view that such behavior is only to be expected of countries such as Algeria and Egypt. The failure of the police and football authorities in both places to act decisively only lends support to this objectionable analysis. It's time this nonsense was stopped. . . . FIFA and football authorities everywhere, not just in Egypt and Algeria, must crack down on these morons."
AP PHOTO: Egyptian demonstration near the Algerian embassy in Cairo, November 20.
Comments
for sure you know nothing at all about the true story ,non of the egyptian throw stones on the algerian bus it is all made by algerian team and media and not true stories ,and the photot you did add after what happen to the egypian from algerian people after the match in sudan they start thrown stones and even with knief against the egyptian,algerian vilance has been for far too long and it is time for all of the to stop,again the photo you publish is peacfull sign in the front of the algerian empassy in egpyt to show the egyptian anger but without any violance, egyptian and egypt are the most peaceful country in the world check the history if you want
With all my respect to you, your story is wrong, the egyptian aouthority has vedios for algerians team bus's accident show that they were hurt them selves, we welcomed them very well by all respect, there was no bad entintions, but they entended from the begining making agitation..you are wrong to say that the egyptian aouthority wanted war with them..
I'm Egyptian and I know the truth, if you want to know the truth as well please check over the web
i agree we raised up the whole matter but the plan put by Algerian to attach a crime to Egyptian so they appear like victims the investigator them selves proved it was fabricated by the Algerian players no one throw stones why we didn't throw stones in the match we encouraged peacefully, i hope that the whole world knows the truth about those peoples
The claims made by the egyptians about the algerian players injuring themselves are completely irrelational, whether this is by accident or more likey by design, it is extraordinary that egyptians still claim players hurt themselves when football fans around the world are convinced to the contrary. Egyptians transgressed the rights that should be afforted to visiting fans and teams in the spirit of sport, it's only fair FIFA punish them. Their fanatical behaviour and claims are only damaging their reputation each time. The investigation which apparently concluded the bus windows were broken from inside is clearly not credible and biased. I might have believed that oranges were thrown, but unfortunatley egypt has a track record of stoning other visiting teams and claiming it was oranges (zimbabwe 1993 in cairo and a tunisian club team). on balance the algerian were the better team on the night and deserved their qualification.
Fifa are looking into the matter and will soon issue Egypt with a fine for 300,000 camels.
They live in ridiculous self-denial. They beat the Algerian team first and then they went to complain to the whole world that they are the victims. Be honest and non-arrogant at least once in your hisotry and admit you were wrong and ask for forgiveness from the Algerians!
The Egypt Police were very supportive to the Algerian fans in the Cairo stadium I was in the stadium during the match on nov 14th the Egyptians where not allowed anywhere near the Algerians in the stadium or outside the stadium. They had armored police vehicles taking them to and back from the stadium. After Egypt won that match all we cared about in Egypt that night was the fact that we won the match. No Algerians where harmed. Roads all around the hotel where the Algerian plays where staying where blocked by Egyptian police. Egyptian police officials stated that the glass on the Algerian bus in Egypt was broken from the inside not outside. When it comes to Sudan some of my friends and family went there and confirmed everything that happened during the match and after the match. Egyptian fans and players where threatened with swords and knives and flares. The Algerian fans that attended the match came to Sudan with military aircrafts which obviously means that they weren’t soccer fans
Check this: forums.aitwayagher.nl/nieuws-actualiteiten/2570-oorlog-egypte-en-algerije-om-voetbal.html
to those how r saying that all what happend is made by the algerian soccer team. well this is true story and you are rong by saying that and with all my respect you r giving djujments to sth u did not see and this is true and it trully happend we are the algerian people we dont need attention from any one and specially from meaningless people like t
he egyptian ones and istead of givivg comments about sth u did not see and you are rong about it there more important thing and issues that must be solved do u forget WHAT DID U DO TO PALASTINE and the poverty that u country is suffering from also u are living in a country where there is no democracy so i think these are more important than what u have said and finally we are better than u in every thing so dont put your selves in the same level with us 123 viv algria
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