Chairman Samir Zaher admitted that the Egyptian FA lacked the sufficient experience to deal with the infamous row with Algeria that erupted after two World Cup qualifiers last year. Algeria's bus was stoned in Cairo ahead of a decisive clash on November 14 2009, which Egypt won 2-0 to force a playoff in Sudan. More controversy was to follow, with Egyptian fans saying they were attacked by knife-armed Algerian supporters after the Desert Foxes claimed a 1-0 victory in Khartoum to book a place in the 2010 South Africa finals. The two incidents sparked outrage in both countries and their diplomatic ties were heavily affected. Zaher, who was at the centre of controversy after wrongfully claiming that Algeria faked the bus incident, admitted that the EFA should have done better to defuse tension. "We didn't deal with the matter in the ideal way. We didn't have the sufficient experience of dealing with such situation and atmosphere," the 67-year-old said in an interview with Modern Sport on Wednesday, almost a year following the unfortunate incidents. "We failed to quickly put an end to the dispute and could not reveal all the facts surrounding the saga. "We could have ended the matter in Cairo but we didn't and I fully regret that. Anyway, it's the will of God." FIFA ordered Egypt to play their first two home games in the 2014 World Cup qualifiers at least 100 Kilometers away from Cairo as a result of the Algerian bus incident. The reported Sudan clashes, however, were not investigated by the world governing body. Ahli's away game to Algerian side JS Kabylie in the African Champions League group stage in August was also marred by crowd trouble. But the Egyptian-Algerian relations have been generally stable during the past few months. "The relations are gradually becoming normal between both countries after the mutual visits between political figures." Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak paid a visit to Algeria in July to condole with his counterpart Abdelaziz Bouteflika over the death of his brother.
