CAIRO - Egypt and Algeria have called for calm ahead of a key Fifa World Cup qualifier in Cairo on Saturday, the Egyptian foreign ministry said yesterday, adding that sports should not affect relations.

CAIRO - Egypt and Algeria have called for calm ahead of a key Fifa World Cup qualifier in Cairo on Saturday, the Egyptian foreign ministry said yesterday, adding that sports should not affect relations.

"There is a joint Egyptian and Algerian desire for calm ahead of the crucial match between the national teams of both countries for the World Cup qualifier," spokesperson Hossam Zaki said.

He said there was "official cooperation between both sides to ensure that the competitiveness, no matter how intense, does not affect the relationship that links both people and countries".

Egyptian and Algerian media "must work to maintain the strong ties between both countries and should not fuel disagreements that are unrelated to sports and sportsmanship", Zaki said. - Sapa-AFP