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Algeria secures Egyptian embassy | |
(about 2 hours later) | |
Security forces have been deployed to protect the Egyptian embassy in Algiers after Egyptian businesses in the Algerian capital were attacked. | |
The offices of Egypt Air and an Egyptian phone company were ransacked on Sunday during a rally in support of the Algerian football team. | |
Thousands of people had gathered hoping to buy plane tickets to Sudan for the World Cup play-off match against Egypt. | |
Wednesday's match will determine which of the sides attends South Africa 2010. | |
Hysteria | |
The demonstration had began peacefully with a procession and shouts of "One, two, three. Go Algeria!" | |
There is intense rivalry between the sides | |
As tensions built, fans broke through the metal shutters of an Egypt Air branch, smashed the window and ransacked the office. | |
The offices of telephone company Djeezy were also broken into and there were reports of a Djeezy employee being assaulted at Algiers airport. | The offices of telephone company Djeezy were also broken into and there were reports of a Djeezy employee being assaulted at Algiers airport. |
The BBC's Arab affairs analyst, Magdi Abdelhadi, says this is the first time the violence has reached such a level. | |
Our analyst added that despite official efforts to contain the hysteria by emphasising common culture and religion, loyalty to the respective football teams appears to have the upper hand. | |
Wednesday's sudden-death game is needed to separate the teams following Saturday's tense final group qualifier in Cairo that left the teams level on points in the qualification group. | |
Egypt won that leg 2-0. | |
Four members of the Algerian football squad were injured on Thursday when their team bus was attacked with stones as it arrived in Cairo for the game. | |
Following the match, around 20 Algerians were injured in clashes in and around Cairo. | |
The teams have an intense rivalry that goes back decades. The last time they met in a major tournament in 1989, the match was followed by riots. | The teams have an intense rivalry that goes back decades. The last time they met in a major tournament in 1989, the match was followed by riots. |
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