On Monday, Nice banned the display of foreign flags between 6 p.m. and 4 a.m. for the duration of the World Cup as France tightened security nationwide ahead of a match between Germany and Algeria.

Close to 2 million people in France can trace their roots back to the former colony, among them the national football hero Zinedine Zidane, whose parents were born in the Berber-speaking region of Kabylie but left before Algeria began its successful war of independence.

On Monday, Christian Estrosi, the deputy mayor of Nice and a member of the right-wing Union for a Popular Movement, signed the municipal order, citing "intolerable behavior that disrupts public tranquility."

France saw more than 70 arrests after Algeria drew with Russia to qualify for the round of 16, and the country's green-and-white flags emblazoned with red Islamic stars and crescent moons hang outside windows and stick to cars when the side take the pitch. Many ethnic Algerians hold dual citizenship, and the attachment to the North African country often appears as strong among those born in France as those who have migrated to it.

The far-right leader Marine Le Pen has called for the country to revoke dual nationality, saying that fervent support for another national team reflects a failure to integrate into French society.

France's European affairs minister, Harlem Desir, called Le Pen's comments an "attempt to play one off against the other," and said any post-match problems were caused by a minority of football fans.

"I would like to see that we do not mix up little groups and the majority who conduct themselves in a peaceful manner," Desir added.

mkg/tj (AFP, AP)