A FIGHT broke out between fans and basketball players last night after an emotional qualifying match between Egypt and Angola. A controversial points decision against Angola minutes before the end of the match heightened the tension in what was an already highly charged atmosphere at the Wembley Stadium. Two Egyptian players started the melee by taunting the Angolan fans immediately following their 73-72 victory. They put their hands to their ears as if to say: “Where are your cheers now?” Cans poured down from the stands on the heads of the defiant Egyptian team. One player started throwing cans back at the fans, then another, until can throwing had become a team sport. One female member of the audience was hit on the head, and it was a minor miracle that the situation did not escalate into full-scale war. As it was, policemen and security guards had to forcibly remove the Egyptians from the court, but not before they kneeled to Mecca, kissed the court, and prayed to Allah.
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