Egyptian citizens are demonstrating near the Algerian embassy in Cairo to protest the Algerians’ violent attacks against Egyptian fans after Wednesday’s football match in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum.
According to the BBC, riot police in Cairo are trying to disperse the protests, which started in the early hours of Friday.
The protestors were further angered by video clips showing Algerian fans burning Egyptian flags after the World Cup qualifying match
"We should treat Algeria like any country that has declared war on us," university student Amr Higazi told Agence France Presse.
Egyptian fans attending the match had been attacked in the stadium and the attacks continued until after game, even though the Algerian football team beat the Egyptians 1-0, securing the last African spot for the finals in South Africa next year.
Eyewitnesses say the Egyptians had been attacked with knives, swords, stones and glass bottles.
Many fans had to hide in Sudanese homes to escape the attacks. Others waved Algerian flags to pretend they are Algerians.
In an interview with state television, Egyptian Health Minister Hatem al-Gabali said 21 Egyptians were injured in attacks in Sudan, AFP reported.
The teams needed the play-off in a neutral country to decide on qualification after the final group match between them on Saturday saw Egypt win 2-0, meaning the two teams finished tied at the top of the group with equal points and identical goal difference.
Algerian fans have also targeted Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak sons, Alaa and Gamal, who attended the game in Sudan, throwing bottles and stones at them and reportedly telling Mr Alaa “we will kill you”.
In a rare public statement, Mr Alaa called for a “tough stance” to be taken against Algeria, saying “when you insult my dignity... I will beat you on the head.”
On Thursday, an Egyptian foreign ministry official said the Egyptian ambassador had been recalled from Algeria for "consultations", while the Algerian envoy to Cairo was summoned to signal "Egypt's extreme displeasure with the assaults on Egyptian citizens who went to Khartoum to support the Egyptian team."
It was the second summons in a week for Ambassador Abdelkader Hadjar, who has been called to the Cairo foreign ministry last week after Algerian fans attacked Egyptian businesses and homes in Algiers following Egypt’s win in Saturday’s match, AFP reported.
"Egypt also expressed its outrage and it denunciation after continuing reports and many appeals from Egyptian citizens residing in Algeria over the assaults and intimidation they face," the foreign ministry statement said.
According to the CNN, Algeria refused on Thursday to allow an Egyptian plane to land. The aircraft was sent to evacuate Egyptian citizens from Algiers, where Egyptians have been harassed by Algerian fans.
After Saturday’s match, Algerian fans took to the streets in Algiers, attacking 15 offices belonging to a local subsidiary of Egypt's Orascom Telecom and twice ransacking the Algiers offices of Egypt Air.
The attacks prompted Orascom to pull out 25 Egyptian employees and their families.
The foreign ministry said in a statement that the Egyptian companies had begun seeking compensation for the losses sustained in the attacks.
Orascom executive chief Naguib Sawaris said that Orascom suffered at least five million dollars (3.4 million) in damage.
Moreover, Algeria socked Egyptian telecommunications giant Orascom with a nearly $600 million bill for back taxes this week, an assessment Orascom said was based on "unfounded and unacceptable" claims about its accounting.
Egypt also announced it was suspending its membership of the Union of North African Football Federations.
The Egyptian Football Federation wrote to its counterparts in Algeria, Libya, Morocco and Tunisia charging that its fans had come under sustained assault during the November 18 match, the state MENA news agency reported.
Reports say World football governing body Fifa has opened disciplinary proceedings against Egypt after the Algerian team alleged that Egyptian fans threw stones at their bus in Cairo before the match.
The bus driver later said the Algerians made these damages themselves.
According to the BBC, Egypt threatened today to quit football for two years after complaining to Fifa over the Algerian fans' behaviour.
"We will stop playing for two years in protest of what happened during the attack," a statement by Egypt's Football Federation said.
"Egyptian fans, officials and players put their lives at risk before and after the game, under threat from weapons, knives, swords and flares.
"We have stated most seriously in the complaint to Fifa to restore moral discipline to the world of football.
"We are ever confident and know that Fifa has always sought to preserve the lives of players and fans, and stand firmly against anyone who tries to distort the ethics and principles of world football.
"A meeting will be held between the head of the National Council for Sport and the president and vice-president of the Egyptian Federation."
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