The Egyptian FA does not intend to apologize to Algeria for failing to prevent their team's bus from being stoned ahead of a World Cup qualifier in November, chairman Samir Zaher said on Friday. Two Algerian players sustained facial injuries after some Egyptian fans hurled stones at their bus before a meeting between the North African rivals at Cairo Stadium on November 14 last year. Egypt defeated Algeria 2-0 to force a playoff in Sudan four days later for a place at the 2010 World Cup finals in South Africa. Some unfortunate incidents were to follow, with Egyptian fans accusing Algerian supporters of assaulting them after the game which Algeria won 1-0 to reach the football's most prestigious event. World governing body FIFA is reviewing the incidents related to the first game between Egypt and Algeria in Cairo and is expected to make a decision over the matter next month. "I rejected the idea of apologizing to Algeria," Zaher, who flew to Switzerland to attend a FIFA hearing, told FilGoal.com.
Compromise? "The Asian Football Confederation president Mohamed Bin Hammam is mediating in the dispute but (Algerian Football Federation president) Mohammed Raouraoua insists that we should apologize to them. "We can apologize in only one case, if Raouraoua also apologized for what happened in Sudan after the playoff game." Local Reports said African champions Egypt are likely to be sanctioned and suggested that FIFA might impose points deduction on the Pharaohs in the next World Cup qualifiers. But Zaher said that nothing is clear now with regards to FIFA's decisions. "No one knows what FIFA will do next. However, we asked them to take the Sudan incidents into consideration, and I knew that they will do," he added. "We can eventually reach a compromise with Algeria without any kind of apologizes."
