Algerian National Team News

[Al-khiyal]

Verts :
Plus de 600.000 dollars de prime pour chaque joueur

Lundi 23 Novembre 2009 -- Les joueurs de l’équipe nationale ont bénéficié chacun d’une prime de plus de 600.000 dollars après leur qualification au Mondial 2010, obtenue mercredi dernier à Khartoum face à l’Egypte, a appris TSA de source proche du staff technique national. Les sommes, nettes d’impôts, ont été remises aux joueurs jeudi après la réception à la présidence de la république. Initialement, la prime prévue était légèrement supérieure à 300.000 dollars. Mais à la veille du match contre l’Egypte, le président Bouteflika avait téléphoné à son ministre de la Jeunesse et des Sports, El Hachemi Djiar, présent à Khartoum avec les Verts. Le chef de l’Etat lui a demandé de transmettre un message de soutien aux joueurs, très affectés par l’agression dont ils avaient fait l’objet le 12 novembre au Caire, et de leur annoncer un doublement de leur prime en cas de qualification au Mondial. Autre initiative du président Bouteflika : dès jeudi soir, il a transformé son avion personnel en « taxi-jet » au service des joueurs de l’équipe nationale évoluant à l’étranger. Ils ont été déposés un par un dans les aéroports des villes de leurs clubs en Europe : France, Angleterre, Allemagne…

[Al-khiyal]

FIFA President calls extraordinary meeting of FIFA Executive Committee

November 23, 2009 -- Due to recent events in the world of football, namely incidents at the play-offs for the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™, match control (refereeing) and irregularities in the football betting market, the FIFA President has called an extraordinary meeting of the Executive Committee. The extraordinary meeting of the Executive Committee will take place in Cape Town on 2 December 2009, starting at 15.00.

[Al-khiyal]

Calvaire d’un supporter algérien :
Hamel, le rescapé du Caire

Mardi 24 Novembre 2009 -- Ce que nous avons vu et entendu à Khartoum ne peut nous laisser indifférent. Que ce soit au Caire ou à Khartoum, les Algériens ont été la proie des sauvages. et ont été agressés à l’arme blanche. Le cas qui dépasse toute imagination humaine et tout comportement d’un peuple du XXIe siècle demeure sans aucun doute celui de Hamel. Une barbarie indescriptible et inimaginable. Ce qu’a vécu notre concitoyen au Caire ne pourrait être que l’œuvre de barbares, et le terme reste faible. Arrivé au Caire, la veille du match, Hamel, la cinquantaine et originaire de Constantine, ne remarqua aucun signe qui présageait que dans quelques heures, il allait vivre l’horreur et la nuit la plus longue de sa vie. Tout se passait le plus normalement du monde jusqu’à la sortie du stade. «Nous avons quitté le stade vers 2h30 ou 3h. Il a fallu que notre ambassadeur en personne exige une escorte pour nous accompagner», nous raconte Hamel que nous avons rencontré à Khartoum après avoir vécu un cauchemar au Caire. Il poursuit : «En cours de route, la police qui faisait l’escorte des supporters algériens nous a abandonnés, les chauffeurs quittaient leurs bus et nous nous trouvions face à une horde armée de tous genres d’armes blanches. Chacun courrait pour se cacher là où il pouvait», nous raconte-t-il. Pour sauver sa peau, Hamel remarqua qu’il se trouve en face de l’hôtel Europa. Il y pénètre, mais voit par la suite un groupe d’Egyptiens qui tentait de déshabiller une femme algérienne. «Je ne pouvais les laisser faire. Après tout, c’est une sœur. J’ai saisi une barre de fer et me suis lancé vers eux tout en me disant que j’allais mourir. Je peux vous dire que ce n’était pas une question de courage, mais plutôt une question d’honneur.» Une fois la femme libérée et mise en sécurité, Hamel tombe dans le piège tendu par ce même groupe devenu plus nombreux entre-temps. «J’était battu par tout le monde. Je ne sentais plus mon corps», disait-il.

À partir de ce moment, Hamel ne pensait plus à la vie. D’ailleurs, il n’avait plus d’énergie pour penser. «Ils m’attrapèrent, me ligotèrent les mains derrière un poteau ou je ne sais quoi, et là, ils s’amusaient à faire ce qu’ils voulaient sur mon corps à l’aide des couteaux.» Il nous a appris avec amertume qu’ils avaient gravé sur son ventre, et à l’aide d’un couteau, le nom d’Imad Moutaâb, le joueur égyptien qui a inscrit le second but contre notre EN, le 14 novembre dernier. Il ne doit son salut qu’à quelques passants et à des policiers qui ont usé de leurs armes pour le sauver. «Sans doute pour ne pas avoir un cadavre sur les mains, d’autant plus que cela se passait devant le célèbre hôtel Europa», enchaîna-t-il. Ils le jetèrent dans un taxi et le balancèrent devant l’entrée de l’ambassade d’Algérie. Quel être humain peut-il faire une chose pareille ? Même une bête féroce lorsqu’elle attaque sa proie ne la fait pas souffrir ? Sont-ils des êtres humains ceux qui ont fait cela ? Ont-il un cœur ? Les chaînes égyptiennes qui lancent leur poison contre nous, comme à l’accoutumée, ont-elles le courage de parler de cela ? Cela nous étonne, car même pour l’attaque programmée contre nos joueurs, les chaînes de télévision se sont arrangées pour faire croire que ce sont les joueurs eux-mêmes qui se sont frappés mutuellement. Cela mériterait d’être repris par les «Guignols de l’Info.» C’est un sujet intéressant que même les plus grandes industries cinématographiques ne pourraient imaginer. Il faut être Egyptien pour imaginer cela. «Une fois arrivés à Khartoum, nous avons tous fait une prière sur le sol soudanais», narre-t-il. Le comble, c’est que Hamel avait vécu en1994 - 1996 entre la France et l’Egypte. Ce qui le laisse dire : «Je connais très bien les Egyptiens. Je les adore, j’adore leur cuisine.» À la question de savoir s’il pourrait un jour retourner en Egypte, Hamel lança un regard hagard, resta un long moment silencieux, soupira un long moment encore et nous a répondu avec la gorge nouée : «Dans mes rêves, je revois toujours les scènes. J’ai peur. En entendant parler de l’Egypte, même à la télévision, j’ai peur.» Hamel est rentré en Algérie dans le dernier vol de samedi en provenance de Khartoum. Que va-t-il dire à sa famille ?

[Al-khiyal]

Feeble excuses for Egypt's football riots

November 24, 2009 -- It really is about football. Local and international media can argue about the underlying reasons for the violence in Cairo that saw the Algerian embassy attacked, hundreds of riot police on the streets and a general atmosphere of fear. But if Egypt had beaten Algeria last Wednesday, instead of losing 1-0, it is clear that the riots would not have happened. Reports that Egyptians were venting their anger over years of government neglect, corruption and poor living conditions are somewhat right. Egyptians may have plenty of reasons to be depressed, angry or frustrated but to blame that for the violence last week, which saw dozens of large police trucks roll into Cairo's posh Zamalek neighbourhood, would be taking the easy way out.

The real answer is that Egyptians have had little to cheer about in recent years. Only the Cup of African Nations championships – won by Egypt in 2006 and 2008 – brought the country together more than its recent effort to qualify for next year's World Cup finals in South Africa. The loss left a nation wounded, unable to deal with the fact that even on the football pitch, they cannot achieve success.

It is easy to blame the "other" for what occurred in Cairo last weekend. President Hosni Mubarak attempted to do just that by fomenting anger and hatred toward Algeria over alleged attacks on Egyptian fans in Sudan following Wednesday's match. Actors and other "stars" of Egyptian society went on national television detailing attacks against Egyptians by Algerians. This is what the government wanted: to whip up fear and anger over football. And the media helped them out, with headlines such as "Algerian terrorism" following the loss, and reports of violence in Sudan.

The result was a preoccupation with football and raw nationalism rarely seen in the country. Mubarak and the ruling party took the opportunity to enrage a segment of society that has long been excluded from any political or social advancement. It was a chance to create anger against the "other" (in this case, Algerians) for what may or may not have occurred. The false sense of nationalism created in the wake of the defeat in Khartoum created a wave of angry supporters who remained at home on Thursday morning, lamenting their national team's failure to secure a place in South Africa. It was about football then. By the evening, when word spread that Egyptians had been attacked by Algerians, all hell broke loose.

As the riots raged, the Egyptian leadership were most likely sitting in their villas smiling, knowing that for now, the Algerian conundrum would occupy the people, take their minds away from the real issues at hand and create weeks of "diplomatic" tension with Algeria. On Friday evening, when I traversed the "war zone" in Zamalek, the generals were cordial, pointing the direction to go. As a foreigner, I found it easy to slip through the checkpoints at every corner. The Algerian embassy was damaged, but not too badly.

Talking with local shopkeepers, who stood only metres from destroyed windows, what they said was shocking but highlights the entire situation of Egyptian denial. "Nothing happened here, it is all the media's hype trying to show how bad the Egyptians are," said one shopkeeper. This, of course, was said as scores of soldiers blocked the middle of the street. A number of Egyptians, when the reporting began to analyse the riots, began talking about the need to put it all in the proper "context". They said the mob was responding to the attacks against their fellow citizens in Sudan. Yes, they probably were, but to attack one's fellow citizens, their shops and their property because of reports from celebrities does not seem the proper response.

Many people agree that it was barbaric and childish, but they still want to argue it away as an attack against the government. No way was it an attack against the government. It was simply a riot out of depression for the loss of a football match and the loss of one's perceived honour. Women's activists rightly object when sexual harassment is described within the context of frustration; the canard of young men and boys harassing women because they "have no other outlet". Similarly, why should a riot against Algeria and Algerians be argued away as the frustration of a people? It cannot and should not.

In the end, observers and analysts, Egyptians and foreign, should put the blame on the people who fomented the anger and hostility, on the government and on the rioters themselves. Police did their job properly on Friday and we should not condemn the heavy hand of the state in this, but we should condemn the government for not openly chastising their own citizens who took the loss of a football match as a chance to lash out at the enemy: Algeria. By next June, after the anger toward Algerians is spent, Egyptians will be supporting their Arab counterparts for the World Cup: Algeria again.

[Al-khiyal]

Egypt-Algeria soccer row a diversion for Cairo woes

CAIRO, November 24, 2009 (Reuters) -- Egypt sent in riot police to quash street protests after a soccer loss to Algeria, but the state's own rantings against Algiers suggest Cairo may have welcomed the diversion of discontent to a foreign target. Far from quelling public anger over talk of Algerian hooliganism after match-day scuffles, Egypt summoned Algeria's envoy and recalled its own. President Hosni Mubarak pledged to protect citizens abroad to applause in parliament.

Egyptians, angry at Algerian conduct after the decisive 1-0 loss, smashed shop windows, overturned cars and hurled stones near Algeria's embassy in Cairo -- a rare sight in Egypt where security forces are usually swifter to crush public dissent. "The government has been inciting in a very crazy manner these anti-Algerian feelings," Hossam el-Hamalawy, a blogger who often criticises the government, said of protests that erupted after Wednesday's loss dashed Egypt's World Cup hopes. "The easiest way to distract the attention of the public, both in Egypt and in Algeria, is to do a little bit of flag waving," Hamalawy said. "Everybody will start forgetting about the unemployment and the economic turmoil we are in."

Egypt could use the diversion, several analysts said. The most populous Arab country, where a fifth of the 77 million people live on less than $1 a day, appears to be slowly emerging from the weight of the global financial crisis, with economic growth expected to hit 5 percent in 2010. But inflation has resumed its skyward creep and now exceeds 13 percent, and official unemployment is over 9 percent. Fiscal reforms praised by investors are cursed by poorer Egyptians who have seen scant material improvement in their lot. Egypt is also approaching a presidential vote in 2011 amid mounting speculation over who will succeed 81-year-old Mubarak, who has given no indication he will step down when his current term ends. His son Gamal is widely tipped as a likely successor. "The people and the regime have one goal now, for the moment, a unified target in anger. This is of course good for any government," analyst Hala Moustafa said, adding the row also reflected a geopolitical rivalry between the two states.

Images of Gamal cheering from the stands at the Cairo stadium were widely aired on Egyptian state television following a 2-0 qualifying soccer win against Algeria on November 14 that briefly kept Egypt's World Cup chances alive. Days later, on November 18, after Egypt lost to Algeria in Sudan, Gamal added his voice to those criticising Algerian conduct. "Anyone who thinks that this will just pass is gravely mistaken," Egypt's Daily News quoted Gamal as telling state television over complaints Egyptian fans were attacked in Sudan. "Egypt is a major power that should not be taken lightly."

Egypt had complained even before the Sudan play-off when Algerian fans trashed the Algiers headquarters of Egypt-based Orascom Telecom's mobile subsidiary. Egypt was further angered when Algeria in the same week hit the firm with a $597 million bill for outstanding taxes in a move analysts say reflects an increasingly nationalist investment climate. "Fallout between Algeria and Egypt following World Cup qualifying matches is not driving OT's (Orascom Telecom) problems, but Algiers and Cairo's curdled relations prevent a near-term solution," the Eurasia Group think tank said.

Before that, Egyptian fans in Cairo had pelted the Algerian team's bus with stones, injuring players on the day of the Cairo qualifier and prompting soccer's world governing body FIFA to investigate. Some fans were also hurt in scuffles. Responding to Egypt's diplomatic moves, Algeria summoned Egypt's ambassador on Friday to reject accusations that its government had failed to protect Egyptians from violent Algerian fans. Sudan also summoned the Egyptian envoy in protest.

The spat shows few signs of cooling. Egypt plans to file a report with FIFA to complain of violence against its fans, state media said. Some Egyptians working in Algeria have said they were harassed, and a bomb hoax was called in against an Algerian flight arriving in Cairo. Egypt's Foreign Ministry spokesman told state television the return of Egypt's envoy to Algeria was linked to "removing the reasons for the recall", state news agency MENA reported. "The recall of the ambassador for consultations is open-ended, and the time frame could last for several days or extend to weeks or months," Hossam Zaki was quoted as saying.

[Al-khiyal]

Press review:
What the media are saying over Egypt-Algeria conundrum

CAIRO, November 24, 2009 -- As Egypt lost to Algeria in Sudan last Wednesday, ending Egypt`s chances to qualify for the World Cup next year in South Africa, the events that followed the match, including the alleged violence sparked between both sides in Sudan, resulted in a war of words, media tension and diplomatic crisis between the two Arab countries. The match became the hot topic and issue for Egyptian newspapers and TV channels. Most columnists focused on the hatred and tension that sparked between the two nations and accused the media of spurring “hostile emotions between fans.”

Saeed Shoe’ib wrote in his al-Youm al-Saba’a column quoting his friend Youssef Ayoub, who said that he faced death in Sudan – being attacked by the Algerian fans. Shoe’ib wrote “Ayoub was unarmed in the face of armed gangs of hooligans and despite that he did not fall in the trap of judging all Algerians that they are like these gangs,” adding that “Ayoub told me that his Algerian friends contacted him to check on him, which means, although he saw death with his own eyes, he still refuses to accuse all the Algerian people of being ‘thugs’ or ‘barbarians’. He refuses these ugly racial descriptions.” Shoeib continued: “Therefore, I agree with my friend, advisor Hossam Mekawi, who decided to file a lawsuit against FIFA to restore the dignity of the Egyptians that was humiliated by some Algerians, since the law of international organizations includes penalties for individuals, corporations and governments, and we have an abundance of evidence that might guarantee a penalty as a deterrent to racists who caused the incidence of racial discrimination, violence and hatred.” He argued, “not to mention that this should not drag Egyptians into the trap of being racists and bigots in the press and media, and I think, we need to hold those who made mistakes on both sides accountable through the institutions in charge, such as the Arab Journalists Union and the Arab States Broadcasting Union, even if the punishment were simply moral.” He also considered severing diplomatic relations and boycotting Algerians culturally as a collective punishment, saying Algeria was “not fit for a great and civilized country such as Egypt, which has to be more civilized than its opponents, as we can’t solve the problem with the saw used by who caused it.”

Emad Eldin Hussein wrote about Egyptian media, especially the official Egyptian media, in his al-Shorouk column, of being responsible for the escalation that followed the match on Wednesday, saying that the state-owned media has always “accused and criticized Palestinians with all true and false charges whenever the Egyptian government disagreed with them. The same thing happened with Syria and its President, and before that with Libya, and with each country that disagreed with the Egyptian government, and now the media repeats the same thing with Algeria, but in a way that is even worse.” He continued, writing that “again, the Algerians have made a mistake and committed crimes, and we also made the same mistakes, and we have to acknowledge that, we can’t just wipe out Algeria and its people from existence as the price of restoring our Egyptian dignity, as we do not know that there are many powers that mess with this issue, and the government tries to erupt a war between the two nations.” He added: “to all innocent and naïve citizens and to all media: criticize as much as you want, but don’t turn all Algerians into ‘Satans’ and do not burn their flags or accuse them of being infidels, otherwise, we would be giving the same right for them to treat us the same way. There is no country in the world, that all of its people could be called bad and evil. In each country there is the good and the bad,” added Hussein. Hussein didn’t pass on the chance to discuss Israel within the current context. He said that “even in Israel, you can find a few of them who are good, and reject the aggression. How could we attack persons like Norm Chomsky, or Amnon Shahak, or Amira Hass, or all those who refuse the Zionist ideology and sided with Palestinians and left the occupied Palestinian territories!”

Tarek al-Shanawi, a prominent film critic, wrote in al-Dustour, critically of the Egyptian calls for a cultural and artistic boycott of Algeria, saying that “arts and culture have always been the deterrent weapon that stood against the Arab countries` boycott of Egypt in the wake of the Camp David peace treaty with Israel. Arab countries then boycotted Egypt at all levels – political, economic and culturally – but there was no boycott of Egyptian media, arts and entertainment. Even if there was an official boycott from the Arab governments, creativity cannot be breached under any case, as it is natural that relations between countries could become tense, due to differences in political orientations, but using the weapon of boycott is the worst, historically.”

[Al-khiyal]

Libya's Kadhafi offers to referee Algeria-Egypt row

TRIPOLI, November 24, 2009 (AFP) - Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi has offered his services as referee in a bitter row between Algeria and Egypt over this month's World Cup qualifiers, official media said on Tuesday. World football's governing body FIFA has already announced that it has opened disciplinary proceedings against Egypt over fan violence against Algerian players before their closing qualifying round tie on November 12. But that has not prevented a diplomatic row between the North African rivals in which a stung Egypt has pulled out Union of North African Football Federations, complaining that Algerian fans had thrown stones at its supporters at the deciding play-off in Sudan which Algeria eventually won.

"As chairman of the African Union, the Guide of the Revolution (Kadhafi) is going to work to bridge the gulf that has opened up between Egypt and Algeria," Libya's official JANA news agency reported. The news agency said that Kadhafi had agreed to play the role of mediator following a request from Arab League chief Amr Mussa, who is himself Egyptian, JANA added. Khartoum as well as Algiers lodged a complaint against Cairo over its protests at the game in Sudan. The Sudanese insisted that just a few Egyptian fans were slightly hurt, rejecting the Egyptian case. Algeria's 1-0 victory in the play-off meant that it took the final African berth for next year's finals in South Africa.