( CNN ) -- A national soccer league in Algeria has canceled matches scheduled for Friday and Saturday after riots in the capital and elsewhere this week . The Algerian National Football League announced the cancellations in Al Watan , a local newspaper . The matches were canceled in an effort to prevent large groups of young people from gathering . The streets were mostly calm in the Algerian capital on Friday , and many imams appealed for calm during morning prayers . Rising prices for food staples like milk and sugar sparked protests in the nation this week , and some fear more violence will erupt . Algerian Minister of Trade Mustapha Benbada said the price of staples will go down next week , but he did not provide any further details . The demonstrators were mostly young men . `` They are burning tires , breaking into buildings , breaking everything . ... We can hear the screams , '' journalist Lania Tagzout said a few days ago . Adding fuel to the protesters ' anger are the high rates of unemployment and housing issues , socioeconomic problems that have been festering for some time . The government has blamed the rising prices and other issues on the global economic crisis . The demonstrations began Tuesday night , and are largely are unorganized , without any clear leaders , Tagzout said . There have been injuries among the protesters as well as police , but authorities are n't disclosing any numbers , she said . Police are n't engaging the demonstrators so far , but are using tear gas to contain them . And even though businesses are shuttered and many people are staying off the streets in the capital , there 's not much anger toward the protesters , she explained . `` Everyone understands that things will only change through violence . ''
Soccer matches are called off after riots in Algeria . Several imams call for silence during Friday prayers . Rising food prices have fueled the protests .