World Cup

KHARTOUM (AFP) – Sudan's security forces threw a tight security cordon around Khartoum to prevent violence between fans of Algeria and Egypt, who clash on Wednesday for a place at the World Cup football finals.

Thousands of rival supporters from Cairo and Algiers have invaded Khartoum, a rare venue for such a showdown in international football.

On Tuesday night, Algerian fans with their country's flag draped over cars cruised through the streets, while groups of Egyptians gathered to dance, sing and chant slogans.

The authorities have deployed 15,000 police to segregate fans in a bid to prevent clashes before, during or after the match, which follows an inconclusive play-off in Cairo last Saturday.

With the North African rivals contesting Africa's last place in next year's finals in South Africa, Egyptian supporters stoned the Algeria squad's bus last week, injuring three players, as it made its way to the team's Cairo hotel.

Away fans were also hurt after Saturday's match, prompting revenge attacks on Egyptian companies based in Algeria.

On the eve of Wednesday's decider, the head of the Algerian football federation told reporters in Khartoum that his Egyptian counterpart Samir Zaher was to blame for the violence.

"He is the origin of all the events that have occurred, including the barbaric aggression that injured ... our players, shocked them and put them under extremely unfavourable conditions," Mohammed Raouraoua said.

World football's governing body FIFA arranged the play-off in neutral territory after Egypt's 2-0 home win over Algeria left the teams deadlocked.

Algeria and Egypt have each been allocated 9,000 seats for the game at Al-Merreikh stadium in Khartoum's twin city of Omdurman. The normal capacity of 41,000 has been cut to 35,000 to allow for strict segregation of the fans.

Both the Algerian and Egyptian embassies have been handing out their match ticket allocations, with many supporters also having been offered free or low-price air tickets.

The gates are to open at 3:30 pm (1230 GMT) and close two hours before the 8:30 kick-off, with fans kept apart at different ends of the stadium and due to be channelled out by different routes.

A 400-member medical team, with 120 ambulances on standby, are to be on duty at the stadium, said Hassan Abdelaziz, head of a medical committee set up for the match.

Schools and offices are to close early, at 1 pm, to clear the streets and allow easier access to the stadium in the city on the Nile of almost five million people.

Several foreign embassies have urged their nationals to stay at home.

A senior Muslim cleric, Sheikh Yussef Qardawi, who is of Egyptian origin, has issued an appeal for calm and urged Arab fans not to wreck their countries' ties over what was "only a game" after all.

Meanwhile, authorities have also gone on alert in Egypt and Algeria, as well as in France, which is home to large North African communities.

The two North African rivals have a history of bad blood in footballing terms, with riots breaking out after Egypt defeated Algeria in a 1989 match in Cairo. Egypt last qualified for the World Cup in 1990, and Algeria in 1