Amr Zaki will not play with an Algerian

[djmo]

This whole Algerian-Egyptian thing is getting ridiculous. Here's another act of childishness, immaturity and stupidity that has been shown by both sides ...

Egypt's Amr Zaki Rules Out Portsmouth Move Because 'I Don't Wish To Play With An Algerian'

There is certainly no love lost between between Egypt and Algeria after the recent events...
The recent high tension between Egypt and Algeria has taken another ugly dimension after Egypt international striker, Amr Zaki, declared he will not be interested in joining English Premier League club Portsmouth because that would mean he will play alongside Algerian defender Nadir Belhadj.
UAE businessman Sulaiman Al-Fahim, who has stake at Portsmouth, disclosed that the former Wigan Athletic striker has been in regular touch with him in respect of a transfer to Fratton Park in the winter.
However, Zaki said on his personal website that a switch from Zamalek to Pompey is no longer an option because they have an Algerian player as well as Isrealis, who many Arab Muslims are against, on their books.
"I refused their offer before, but now joining Portsmouth is no longer an option for me," Zaki said.
"After Portsmouth signed an Israeli player and also hired an Israeli football director (Avram Grant), a possible move was ruled out.
"On top of that, no way could I play at Portsmouth with an Algerian within in their ranks."
The relationship between Egypt and Algeria has soured since the hostilities that followed the Pharaohs' 1-0 loss to the Desert Foxes in Wednesday's World Cup play-off.
Fans of both countries were engaged in bloody fights in Sudan as well as in their respective countries after Algeria qualified for next year's World Cup at the expense of their regional rivals.
Top government officials including Egypt President Hosni Mubarak have also joined in this row.

[Team Melli Fan]

what next? egypt and algeria go to war against eachother? this is getting out of hand.

thanks for the article

[djmo]

Don't be surprised, soccer wars have happened in the past.

Amr Zaki is supposed to be a professional player, these racist comments are really unwarranted esp. since both of these countries speak Arabic ... he's nothing like Abou Treika who is always class.

[djmo]

The undemocratic gov't of Egypt is using these as a diversion tactic ...

CAIRO: Egypt sent in riot police to quash street protests after a soccer loss to Algeria, but the state’s own rants 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 al-Hama lawy, a blogger who often criticizes 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
under $1 a day, appears to be slowly emerging from 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 Mubarak, who has given no indication he will step down when his 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,” said analyst Hala Mous tafa , adding the row also reflected a geopolitical rivalry between the two states.



Images of Gamal cheering from the stands at the Cairo stadium were aired on Egyptian state television after 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 criticizing 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 spokes man 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.

[Demis-11]

if he doesnt want to play with an algerian ill take him with open arms on my team, but none the less very classless of him to do

[persepolisfan]

classeless player

[Demis-11]

egypt seems to be very bitter after losing out to their rivals for a WC spot, they have no one to blame but themselves, this situation is nothing out of the ordinary..Greeks and Turks fight outside stadiums when they play against eachother, same as Argentinians and Brazilians im sure...

dropping points to zambia cost egypt a spot, not getting beaten by algeria

[EKBATAN]

how lame


what happened to zaki by the way? he was hot like early last year or so then i never heard about him...does he even score in premier league anymore?

[IranSoccer#8]

lol dont be hypocrites. if this happended between iran and bahrain for example, we'd call the guy a hero if he said i dont want to play with a bahraini. fvck algeria, anyone who watched that game knows egypt were unlucky. algeria played classless football the entire second half.

[1Heesham1]

Its clearly fabricated. Wheres ur source.

[djmo]

Its clearly fabricated. Wheres ur source.

http://goal.com/en/news/89/africa/20...-dont-wish-to-

[Shamim]

Wow this is getting crazy, today i read that algerians university students in Egypt about 2000 ppl are fearing for their lives and they want to go home as soon as possible, a few of them got seriously beaten by angry mobs. Right now its less dangerous being a israeli in Egypt that a algerian.

[the-ali]

http://goal.com/en/news/89/africa/20...-dont-wish-to-

mo jan,

try not to source goal.com as your source.

[kaebi kabab]

zaki was becoming huge in england but he took at as a joke and didnt come back 5WEEKS after African Cup of nations finished with no way of contact at all

[persianallstars]

and they call us radical extremist, they should better not throw a stone while sitting in a glasshouse