Zurich, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt has benefited from an outpouring of nationalist fervour following the Egyptian soccer team’s loss to Algeria after two qualifying matches 14 and 18 November. The fallout from the football matches has included Egyptians being attacked in Algiers, Algeria, and a rupture in diplomatic ties between the two countries. Mubarak addressed the country’s parliament Saturday 21 November and vowed to protect the dignity of Egyptian citizens living abroad, to loud applause.
The incidents surrounding the arrival of the Algerian football team in Cairo, Egypt 14 November for a World Cup qualifying match with arch-rivals Egypt are to be investigated by the disciplinary committee of the world football regulatory body, Fifa announced 19 November. The bus carrying the Algerian team was beset by rioters and stoned as it moved from the airport to the hotel.
Mubarak’s 27-year regime has been under increasing pressure as domestic discontent mounts, especially concerning the economy and jobs. The national media had mounted a vociferous campaign in favour of the national team.
Egypt won the first game in Cairo 14 November and lost the second in Khartoum, Sudan, 18 November ensuring Algeria’s qualification for 2010′s World Cup in South Africa.
Links to other sites: Al-Jazeera, Fifa site, The National, Time
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News story, GenevaLunch, 23 November 2009.
Filed under: Sports
Tags: Algeria, Algiers Algeria, Cairo Egypt, disciplinary committee, Egypt, FIFA, football, Hosni Mubarak, Khartoum Sudan, Politics