Kingsley Kobo, AfricaNews reporter in Abidjan, Ivory Coast
The Algerian government has announced that four players from its national football team were injured on Thursday when their bus was attacked by Egyptian fans upon arrival in Cairo for a hotly contested World Cup qualifier.
Azzedine Mihoubi, Algeria’s communication minister said on a state radio that one player was hospitalized and three others injured, AP reported.
According to Mihoubi, the players were riding in their bus from Cairo International Airport to their hotel when they were attacked. He did not provide their names or other details.
An Egyptian police official denied that Algerian team members were hurt.
The official said local fans who tried to throw stones at the arriving members of the Algerian squad were overpowered by security troops.
“Emotional Egyptian fans waited for the Algerians outside the airport but police managed to prevent them from hurling stones,” the official said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media, according to AP.
The highly charged qualifier on Saturday is the final round in the African zone.
A similar face-off in 1989 ended in rioting after Egypt beat Algeria 1-0. Neither team has qualified for the World Cup since then.
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