Four Algerian football players were injured when their team bus came under attack from stone throwers as it arrived in Cairo.

Algeria and Egypt play a World Cup qualifying match in Cairo on Saturday.

None of those injured has been named, but one player was sent to hospital for treatment, Algerian radio reported.

A reporter for Algerian radio said that about 200 young people appeared just as the team arrived at a Cairo hotel, and launched a hail of stones at the bus.

Hachemi Djiar, the Algerian sports minister is reported to have described the incident as "very regrettable".

He said officials from Fifa, international football's governing body, were aware of the incident and were meeting to decide what action to take.

Egyptian and Algerian officials have been trying to calm tension ahead of the match.

The teams have an intense rivalry that goes back decades.

The last time they met in a major tournament in 1989, the match was followed by riots.

// posted by Paul Scott @ 2:26 pm