Foot poisoning

"After winning the match 2-0, one of the Syrian football officials went on Lebanese television to complain about the hosts.

"We were treated with intentional carelessness by our hosts.

"There is no excuse for it, and brotherly countries should not be dealt in that way," Bahaa al-Omary later told the BBC.

Mr Omary said that on the eve of the game eight Syrian footballers got food poisoning and were taken to hospital.

The Syrian team doctor found the poisoning "highly suspicious".

Lebanese officials were quick to promise an investigation, but whether in politics or football, the essence of the Syrian-Lebanese relations still lies in a deep and all-pervasive lack of trust. "