World football governing body FIFA warned Egypt on Friday to step up security for a key World Cup qualifier with Algeria after stonethrowing fans injured three away players as they were in their bus on the way to the team hotel.
A FIFA spokesman said: "We have reiterated to the Egyptian association our request that all security measures be taken so that the match can go ahead."
FIFA said it would announce what action if any it was taking against the Egyptian football federation later in the day after considering a detailed report on the incident from its representatives on the ground in Cairo.
FIFA report
One FIFA representative, Walter Gagg, confirmed to AFP that three Algerian players had sustained injuries which may yet rule them out of Saturday's key game, which will decide which of the bitter North African rivals advances to the World Cup finals in South Africa next year.
"We saw that three players had been injured -- Khaled Lemmouchia on the head, Rafik Halliche above the eye and Rafik Saifi on the arm," Gagg said.
"These weren't superficial injuries," he stressed.
"With the stitches needed, we will have to see if these players can play. The team doctor has still to make a decision on that," he said.
Gagg said Algeria's goalkeeping coach had suffered concussion, and described the bus itself as in a "very bad way with broken windows and traces of blood on the floor."
"The players were afraid. They were terrified," he said.
We saw that three players had been injured -- Khaled Lemmouchia on the head, Rafik Halliche above the eye and Rafik Saifi on the arm
The FIFA delegate said the governing body held urgent consultations after the incident and even the two presidents, Hosni Mubarak of Egypt and Algeria's Abdul Aziz Bouteflika were involved, talking to each other by telephone.
Gagg's report of events contrasted with that of the Egyptian police, who insisted none of the Algerian players had been injured by the stonethrowing, and even more so with those of the Egyptian press which charged that the whole incident was a fabrication.
Algerian press
The Algerian press carried front-page pictures of the injured players. The French-language al-Watan newspaper showed a photograph of midfielder Lemmouchia's bloodied head with the headline "After the ambush against the Greens."
The paper said it thought it unlikely that Saturday's game would be cancelled because of the injuries to the players, but suggested that the Egyptian federation might be fined.
Egyptian newspapers insisted Algerian players had faked the whole incident, further inflaming the atmosphere despite appeals from the Egyptian authorities in the build-up to the game for responsible coverage.
Leading state-owned daily al-Ahram said it was the Algerian players, not stonethrowers, who had caused the damage to the bus.
They insulted us the (Egyptians). Then they took the hammers in the bus used for emergencies and broke the glass
"The bus carrying the team from the airport to the hotel was at the center of a strange incident in which some of the players started to smash the vehicle's windows claiming that they were the target of stonethrowing," the paper reported.
Egyptian state television interviewed a man they identified as the bus driver, who insisted that Egyptian fans were merely chanting pro-Egypt slogans when the Algerian team inside the bus began insulting Egypt.
"They insulted us the (Egyptians). Then they took the hammers in the bus used for emergencies and broke the glass," the man was quoted as saying.
Egyptian press
The independent daily al-Shuruq went further, saying the whole episode was a "complete fabrication."
Citing a "senior security source," the paper said the windows of the bus were smashed "from the inside not the outside as claimed by Algerian team members."
It accused the players of a "complete fabrication intended to serve as an excuse in the event that they lose" Saturday's key decider for next year's World Cup finals in South Africa.
The independent al-Masri al-Yom newspaper acknowledged that some "kids" had thrown stones, but charged that the Algerian players had then put on a "display of histrionics pretending to be scared and injured, and smashing up the bus's windows and seats."
The state-owned al-Gomhuriya said the players had even assaulted the bus driver.
On Thursday night just outside Cairo, Algeria's "king of rai" Cheb Khaled performed alongside Egyptian star Mohammed Munir to a packed audience of nearly 45,000 people, according to organizers.
"Long live Egypt, Arab country, long live Algeria, Arab country," Cheb Khaled shouted to the crowd, with little apparent impact on home fan passions ahead of the game.
The pre-match atmosphere in Egypt had already surged to feverish heights.
Algeria can afford to lose Saturday's match by a one-goal margin and still qualify for the World Cup. A two-goal defeat would force a decider in Khartoum on Nov. 18.
Around 70,000 Egyptians are expected to pack the stadium on Saturday. Around 2,000 tickets have been allocated to Algerian fans.
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