African clash abandoned after pitch invasion
Reuters - Saturday 02 April 2011, 20:58
CAIRO - Hundreds of Zamalek supporters
invaded the pitch during their team's African Champions League
clash with Tunisia's Club Africain on Saturday causing the game
to be abandoned.
Zamalek were winning 2-1 when the Egyptian side's third goal
was ruled out, angering the home fans who took over the pitch
and forced the Algerian referee to leave.
It was the second leg of the round of 32 tie. Club Africain
beat Zamalek 4-2 in the first leg.
An Egyptian official in the ministry of health said nine
people were injured in the incident, according to the state news
agency MENA. He did not give their nationalities.
The incident revived the football tension between Egypt and
Algeria of the recent past.
Algeria and Egypt had a diplomatic row late in 2009 over an
ill-tempered qualification match for the World Cup.
Both sides traded accusations about crowd violence and
intimidation and Cairo withdrew its ambassador from Algiers.