24 March 2011
Up to 50 people, including five police officers, were injured in jostling in the Algerian town of Annaba as football fans rushed to buy tickets for the CAN 2012 qualifier match between Morocco and Algeria.
Two people were knifed and left seriously wounded on Wednesday, Algerian daily El Watan reports.
Football fans supporting Algeria’s Desert Foxes started queuing up to buy tickets more than one hour before the ticket office opened at the 19-May football stadium. As the crowds grew and skirmishes broke out, the police intervened with water canon to break up the queues.
The 19-May stadium is the only selling point for the 45,000 tickets earmarked for Algerian fans. 3,000 Moroccan fans are also expected to attend the match, scheduled to take place on Sunday.
Algeria holds the last place in Group D with one point as Morocco leads with the Central African Republic with four points.
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Algeria/Morocco: Fifty Injured in Soccer Ticket Frenzy