By Duncan Mackay

Egypt_football_violence_AlexandriaJune 17 - Egypt's African qualifying match against Sudan for next year's Olympics has been moved from Alexandria to Cairo after authorities in the country's second biggest city admitted that they could not guarantee security for the game.


Violence at the Alexandria Stadium on Wednesday (June 15) marred a key game between local club Ittihad and Wadi Degla, in a repeat of the ugly incidents at the African Champions League encounter in April in Cairo between Zamalek and Tunisia's Club Africain.

Hundreds of Ittihad fans invaded the pitch after their team suffered a 2-1 defeat by Wadi Degla, in a crucial Premier League game, to reignite security concerns in a country still reeling following the January revolution that toppled former longtime ruler Hosni Mubarak and his regime.

The supporters went onto the pitch to try and attack the game's Austrian referee, and players of both teams, before being faced by police.

Twelve officers were among the 22 people injured in the violence.

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Alexandria security has also asked the Egyptian Army, in charge of the country's affairs in this interim period, not to host any matches there until the end of this season.

The Egypt-Sudan Olympic qualifier is now set to be moved to Cairo.

The teams played goalless in the first leg of the second round qualifier in Sudan.

The Olympic qualifier is important to Egypt after it all but failed to qualify for the African Cup of Nations finals for the first time in 29 years despite having won the tournament three consecutive times since 2006.

If Egypt succeeds to qualify for London, it would be the first time that it reaches the Olympics since 1992 in Barcelona.

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