The ongoing feud between Algerian and Egyptian soccer fans ahead of the Soccer World Cup qualifier between the tow national teams is spiraling out of control damaging relationships between the tow countries and the two people.

The unfortunate attack by stone throwing Egyptian hooligans against the Algerian team in Cairo came at a moment when insults between bloggers form both sides reached a level if viciousness that has surpassed the norms of civility and decadency. Most of these revolting remarks were made by over-zealous Egyptian and Algerian young soccer fans, However, a comment by a well known Egyptian commentator to an Egyptian Television station during which he belittled the sacrifices of the Algerian people during Algeria’s revolution war set the tone of the debate.

The injection of politics into a soccer game is a sign of intellectual weakness. The Egyptian press was first to mix apples and oranges by constantly referring to Egypt’s help to the Algerians during Algeria’s war of independence, as if the soccer game is some military exercise!

More disturbing are the Egyptian police denial that Algerian players were injured during the attack at the Cairo hotel and that the Algerian team staged the incident. The FIFA denied both contentions, making the Egyptian police and press look pathetic.

Egypt is indisputably a soccer powerhouse that is not in need of lies and cheap attacks against their opponents to win. This year Algerian soccer team has been stealing the hearts of soccer fans all around the world. It has been a pleasure to watch the Algerian team plays beautifully, unpretentious and from the heart soccer.

The Egyptians are frustrated by Algeria’s recent successes in amassing a large mass of fans outside Algeria. Egyptian offensive comments about Algeria’s history, dialect, and costumes further galvanized Algeria’s fans. Reading comments posted to Moroccan websites, the Moroccan public was sad to see such malicious campaign over a soccer game poisons relationships between to brotherly countries; however, Moroccan soccer fans came on the side of the Algerian team for several reasons.

The spineless showing by Morocco’s national team during their games was such a disappointment to the Moroccan public turning many Moroccan fans to support their neighbor’s brilliant team. If Moroccan players seemed playing half-heartily and without fire, the Algerians played from the heart and with conviction, winning the Moroccan public by a large. The Moroccans also felt that some of the gratuitous comments that were made by the Egyptian press and public to bash the Algerian team were offensive to the Moroccan, and where in some ways targeted to all “North Africans.” Sad, but Egypt had squandered the respect and esteem of many Arabs over a simple soccer game. When the respected Egyptian daily claims that the Algerian staged the bus attack, it is time for the Egyptians to revisit their priorities.

This “crisis” is likely to be nothing but a summer cloud that would eventually evaporate.  The bilateral relations between Algiers and Cairo will not suffer; it is after all just a soccer game. For now, let’s play ball and may the best team wins.