Lions of Mesopotamia
The Shiite, Sunni and Kurdish Iraqi soccer team, crowned the 2007 Asian Cup champions, for the first time, with their shocking 1-0 win over Saudi Arabia ─ seven time finalists in the last eight years, and three-time winners of the tournament, was not only a surprising upset in the sport, but a signal that if people of different cultures, religions and races are determined to work together for a common goal, they can prevail, against all odds.
The driven Iraqis showed great resolve and immense inner strength throughout the tournament, crushing Australia 3-1 and beating South Korea on penalties. The Iraqis were determined to win the final after a mother had dedicated her 12-year-old son, one of more than 50 people slain in a car bomb attack in Baghdad while celebrating Iraq’s semi-final win over South Korea ─ as a sacrifice to the Iraqi national team.
Iraqi skipper Younis Mahmoud’s thumping headed goal in the fiercely contested all-Arab final in Indonesia was his fourth goal to finish joint-leading scorer in the tournament with Saudi Arabia’s Yasser Al Qahtani and Japan’s Naohiro Takahara. Younis is a Sunni Turkman. Teammate Houar Mullah Mohammad, who put the ball in position for the score, is a Kurdish Shiite. Goalkeeper Noar Sabri is an Arab Shiite.
The team could not go home to parade the Asian Cup in Baghdad out of fear for their lives and that of their fans. The victorious lions celebrated their win in Dubai and Amman, Jordan. Younis Mahmoud and other teammates did not go to Iraq with the cup out of fear for their lives.
The Iraqis do and will continue to turn on each other. Many members of the football team have lost loved ones in the ongoing sectarian violence. The team is tight and determined. Determined to show the world that they can beat anyone, including America. They are united as a team to first get rid of America and other foreigners, before they get down to business with each other.
Iraqi footballers, unlike their Saudi counterparts who only play in the kingdom, are highly prized and play for foreign teams throughout the Middle East and Africa. If no country wants Saudi footballers, why does America continue to play in the Arabian Desert and embrace the Saudi political leadership?
The driven Iraqis showed great resolve and immense inner strength throughout the tournament, crushing Australia 3-1 and beating South Korea on penalties. The Iraqis were determined to win the final after a mother had dedicated her 12-year-old son, one of more than 50 people slain in a car bomb attack in Baghdad while celebrating Iraq’s semi-final win over South Korea ─ as a sacrifice to the Iraqi national team.
Iraqi skipper Younis Mahmoud’s thumping headed goal in the fiercely contested all-Arab final in Indonesia was his fourth goal to finish joint-leading scorer in the tournament with Saudi Arabia’s Yasser Al Qahtani and Japan’s Naohiro Takahara. Younis is a Sunni Turkman. Teammate Houar Mullah Mohammad, who put the ball in position for the score, is a Kurdish Shiite. Goalkeeper Noar Sabri is an Arab Shiite.
The team could not go home to parade the Asian Cup in Baghdad out of fear for their lives and that of their fans. The victorious lions celebrated their win in Dubai and Amman, Jordan. Younis Mahmoud and other teammates did not go to Iraq with the cup out of fear for their lives.
The Iraqis do and will continue to turn on each other. Many members of the football team have lost loved ones in the ongoing sectarian violence. The team is tight and determined. Determined to show the world that they can beat anyone, including America. They are united as a team to first get rid of America and other foreigners, before they get down to business with each other.
Iraqi footballers, unlike their Saudi counterparts who only play in the kingdom, are highly prized and play for foreign teams throughout the Middle East and Africa. If no country wants Saudi footballers, why does America continue to play in the Arabian Desert and embrace the Saudi political leadership?
posted by Peter de Krassel's Custom Maid Politics at 5:49 AM
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