Coming Home
Iraq anxiously awaited the arrival of its Asian Cup soccer champs Friday, but most Baghdad residents would be barred from the homecoming celebration because of security.
The team, which hasn’t played a home game in 17 years, was due to land at Baghdad’s international airport Friday afternoon. Iraqi officials, led by the minister of sport and youth, would receive them, ministry spokesman Hassan Qassim said.
But three players—team captain Younis Mahmoud, Nashat Akram and Hawar Mulla Mohammed—would not be with them. Mahmoud, who scored the winning goal in Iraq’s 1-0 Asian Cup final win over Saudi Arabia, had said he feared for his life if he returned to Iraq to celebrate the stunning victory.
Qassim said a welcome-home celebration would be held in a Baghdad hotel in the heavily fortified Green Zone, home to the U.S. Embassy and the Iraqi government headquarters.
“I wish the celebration would take place in al-Shaab stadium, but that is impossible for security reasons,” said Mohammed Kadhom, 35, who works at the country’s oil ministry. Al-Shaab is a huge, Saddam Hussein-era facility on the capital’s east side.
“It is sad that we can’t receive our national team in a public celebration as others do, I myself fear for their safety,” Kadhom said.
Vehicles were banned from Baghdad’s streets for four hours coinciding with prayer services on Friday, for a regular weekly curfew on the Muslim holy day. Several rings of security around the Green Zone would prevent ordinary Iraqis from welcoming the team.
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Next year.
August 3rd, 2007 at 3:21 amI am really happy for them-I hope this will cheer up the Iraqi people
August 3rd, 2007 at 4:06 amI would like to say congratulations to them, even though i know they will never see this..Thats right JC, next year will be better
August 3rd, 2007 at 6:25 amYeah, what John C said.
August 3rd, 2007 at 7:49 amOooo — that would really put AQ or JAM beyond the pale forever: off a few of the soccer team! Not that I’m calling for that, of course
August 3rd, 2007 at 8:30 amThe best thing that the Iraqi Soccer team could do at this point would be to fire the entire Iraqi Parliment and take their places. Maybe then, we could get things done.
August 3rd, 2007 at 9:31 am