LIVE on the BBC: An Egyptian fan claims that Algeria staged their bus attack

Last week, in an attempt to help the British public understand better the rivalry between Egypt and Algeria, the BBC invited one fan from each nation to come on the radio and make their case live on air. The radio interview took place after the Algerian national team had been attacked on their arrival in Cairo, yet this event quickly become a matter of disagreement between the two rival Arab personalities.

(A report into the Algerian bus attack can be followed here.)

Forwarding the Egyptian argument, Essam Marghani began the discussion by claiming “Egypt is a peaceful country. We host our guests very well… I have seen that this [the bus attack] is some sort of provoking the Egyptian people, which is something that some North African countries are famous for… The attack, or the breaking of the glass was initiated from the inside [of the Algeria bus] rather than the outside.”

When quizzed on the footage of the Egyptian fans throwing stones at the Egyptian bus, Mr. Marghani simply answered “I have not read about that unfortunately.”

Soon after the conversation broke down into farce. The Algerian fan asked his opposite peers how he explains how rocks appeared in the Algerian bus, with the Egyptian fan soon heading off down a tangent accusing the Algerians of poisoning the Pharaohs during their last match inn Algiers.

The incredible interview between the Egypt and Algerian fan can be heard here.