As football passions continue to heat ahead of the 14 November match in Cairo between Egypt and Algiers which will decide which national team qualifies for the 2010 World Cup finals, BBC Arabic television's flagship talk show, Agenda Maftouha (Open Agenda), discusses the way the playoff appears to be affecting the fans and the media in the two countries.
Following the first qualifying match in Algiers, commentaries in the media in both countries have gone beyond football, sometimes touching on issues to do with national pride and history. The Friday 30 October edition of Agenda Maftouha features Algerian and Egyptian football stars, Lakhdar Belloumi and Hosam Hussein, who talk to BBC Arabic about the spirit of sport, fan behaviour, sport ethics and the role teams can play in promoting good relations between countries.
Agenda Maftouha is a weekly programme offering an in-depth exploration of a single issue, delving beneath the headlines to examine the undercurrents behind the headlines, and bring a wide range of perspectives to the issue at hand. It is broadcast on Fridays at 19.10 GMT, repeated on Saturdays at 13.10 GMT.
© 2009 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
