Welcome to hell ... but I can handle heat of Africa’s 'Old Firm' inferno
Boogie man ... Madjid is determined not to be spooked by Eygpt grudge match or the depth of fans' bitterness
by Thomas Jordan
MADJID BOUGHERRA has already experienced one of the most passionate derby matches in world football having strutted his stuff in Old Firm games.
But those encounters may seem like a stroll in the park for the Rangers defender compared to what awaits him next month.
The highly-rated stopper will take the field in one of the most incendiary games in world football when Algeria go up against North African rivals Egypt on November 14 with a place at next year's World Cup Finals in South Africa at stake.
It's 20 years since the two nations clashed with the same prize on the line. Then, as now, Algeria only required a point from the game to secure their place at the Finals, but it was arch-foes Egypt who won the game on their home patch and qualified for Italia 90.
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However, the result hardly merited a mention afterwards. The game is remembered in North Africa for the violent scenes and running battles that broke out among players after the final whistle.
Indeed, only in April this year did Interpol finally drop an arrest warrant against Algerian star Lakhdar Belloumi for bottling the Egyptian team doctor, who was blinded in one eye, at a post-match reception.
The striker was back home in Algeria when he was convicted in his absence and sentenced to imprisonment and fined.
He is free to return to Cairo this week now that all charges against him have been dropped, although any trip to Egypt will undoubtedly carry a government health warning.
His actions still burn in the memory of Egyptians and guarantee Bougherra and his countrymen a welcome-to-hell-type reception when they arrive for this winner-takes-all clash.
The vast Libyan desert may separate both nations, but mere borders do not define the intensity of a footballing conflict.
At the final whistle back in 1989, it took the referee eight minutes to reach the safety of the dressing rooms after the entire Algerian contingent - players, coaches and officials - had to be corralled back by police as they tried to get at the match officials.
Both teams nurture a bitter hatred of each other, but events 20 years ago only increased that rivalry but, incredibly, Bougherra is relishing the tinderbox tie.
"For Algerians, the game against Egypt is the biggest derby in the world," said the Rangers defender as he prepares for one of the most important games - if not the most important - of his career.
"We won the last time we faced each other in Algeria. We had to. It is the same for Rangers against Celtic. I had the confidence and experience to handle the occasion when I have played against Celtic before.
"You can get excited and caught up by the crowd in big games like these, you can follow the atmosphere and make bad tackles. You maybe want to prove yourself to the fans and try and do clever things with the ball that you don't need to do.
"But we must concentrate on only the football and getting the right result to reach the World Cup Finals."
One journalist who was at the match 20 years ago believes the events he witnessed could make for an interesting time for Bougherra and his team-mates when they fly in to Cairo.
Brian Oliver said: "'Get there early' was the message from Egypt's FA to the few foreign journalists who had travelled to Cairo, so they took us in by bus at 10.30am. For a 3pm kick-off.
"The ground was full already, with over 100,000 packed in with more than four hours to go.
"At least 20,000 were wearing military uniforms, and they joined the rest of the crowd in choreographed swaying to the rousing music blaring from giant speakers placed around the running-track.
"There were also a number of giant ornamental plants placed near the VIP area, which would become missiles for the Algerians after their 1-0 defeat."
Another man with an insight into Egyptian football is Scottish referee chief Hugh Dallas.
The whistler was specially hired by the Egyptian FA to officiate a match between Al-Ahly and Zamalek. The request was initially made to Uefa, who then contacted the SFA and Dallas was deployed with his assistants by being flown in and out on the same day.
"The clubs are the Old Firm of Egypt," recalled Dallas. "There were just under 100,000 fans in the stadium and the game had to be stopped a couple of times when missiles were thrown.
"But, on the whole, it went quite smoothly. Most of the players spoke no English so there was absolutely no dissent, which was spooky."
Bougherra will be hoping his trip to Egypt goes as well next month as he bids to secure his own place at the World Cup Finals.
Publication date 13/10/09
Boogie man ... Madjid is determined not to be spooked by Eygpt grudge match or the depth of fans' bitterness
by Thomas Jordan
MADJID BOUGHERRA has already experienced one of the most passionate derby matches in world football having strutted his stuff in Old Firm games.
But those encounters may seem like a stroll in the park for the Rangers defender compared to what awaits him next month.
The highly-rated stopper will take the field in one of the most incendiary games in world football when Algeria go up against North African rivals Egypt on November 14 with a place at next year's World Cup Finals in South Africa at stake.
It's 20 years since the two nations clashed with the same prize on the line. Then, as now, Algeria only required a point from the game to secure their place at the Finals, but it was arch-foes Egypt who won the game on their home patch and qualified for Italia 90.
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However, the result hardly merited a mention afterwards. The game is remembered in North Africa for the violent scenes and running battles that broke out among players after the final whistle.
Indeed, only in April this year did Interpol finally drop an arrest warrant against Algerian star Lakhdar Belloumi for bottling the Egyptian team doctor, who was blinded in one eye, at a post-match reception.
The striker was back home in Algeria when he was convicted in his absence and sentenced to imprisonment and fined.
He is free to return to Cairo this week now that all charges against him have been dropped, although any trip to Egypt will undoubtedly carry a government health warning.
His actions still burn in the memory of Egyptians and guarantee Bougherra and his countrymen a welcome-to-hell-type reception when they arrive for this winner-takes-all clash.
The vast Libyan desert may separate both nations, but mere borders do not define the intensity of a footballing conflict.
At the final whistle back in 1989, it took the referee eight minutes to reach the safety of the dressing rooms after the entire Algerian contingent - players, coaches and officials - had to be corralled back by police as they tried to get at the match officials.
Both teams nurture a bitter hatred of each other, but events 20 years ago only increased that rivalry but, incredibly, Bougherra is relishing the tinderbox tie.
"For Algerians, the game against Egypt is the biggest derby in the world," said the Rangers defender as he prepares for one of the most important games - if not the most important - of his career.
"We won the last time we faced each other in Algeria. We had to. It is the same for Rangers against Celtic. I had the confidence and experience to handle the occasion when I have played against Celtic before.
"You can get excited and caught up by the crowd in big games like these, you can follow the atmosphere and make bad tackles. You maybe want to prove yourself to the fans and try and do clever things with the ball that you don't need to do.
"But we must concentrate on only the football and getting the right result to reach the World Cup Finals."
One journalist who was at the match 20 years ago believes the events he witnessed could make for an interesting time for Bougherra and his team-mates when they fly in to Cairo.
Brian Oliver said: "'Get there early' was the message from Egypt's FA to the few foreign journalists who had travelled to Cairo, so they took us in by bus at 10.30am. For a 3pm kick-off.
"The ground was full already, with over 100,000 packed in with more than four hours to go.
"At least 20,000 were wearing military uniforms, and they joined the rest of the crowd in choreographed swaying to the rousing music blaring from giant speakers placed around the running-track.
"There were also a number of giant ornamental plants placed near the VIP area, which would become missiles for the Algerians after their 1-0 defeat."
Another man with an insight into Egyptian football is Scottish referee chief Hugh Dallas.
The whistler was specially hired by the Egyptian FA to officiate a match between Al-Ahly and Zamalek. The request was initially made to Uefa, who then contacted the SFA and Dallas was deployed with his assistants by being flown in and out on the same day.
"The clubs are the Old Firm of Egypt," recalled Dallas. "There were just under 100,000 fans in the stadium and the game had to be stopped a couple of times when missiles were thrown.
"But, on the whole, it went quite smoothly. Most of the players spoke no English so there was absolutely no dissent, which was spooky."
Bougherra will be hoping his trip to Egypt goes as well next month as he bids to secure his own place at the World Cup Finals.
Publication date 13/10/09
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