Soccer final a welcome, though brief, unifier

BAGHDAD, Iraq – The streets were devoid of traffic, most shops were shuttered, and families were huddled at home. But for once it was not because of fear or a strict curfew in this war-scarred capital, but joyous anticipation: Team Iraq had reached the finals of the 15th annual Asian Games soccer tournament. And all eyes were glued to the match unfolding on television.

“This soccer game is taking place under such a cloud,” said Qassem Hossein, 50-year-old proprietor of the Karada Youth Casino, a rundown Baghdad teahouse where men gathered to watch the game and sip tea at tables cluttered with backgammon boards and dominos.

“Through this team, we can express the happiness which we have lost,” he said.

The championship match was set up Tuesday when Iraq’s Samer Mujbil headed in the winning goal in a 1-0 semifinal victory over South Korea. That win sparked joy and a furious eruption of celebratory gunfire throughout the country and shined a spotlight on Iraq’s team. Even U.S. political and military leaders praised the Iraqi team, which had made it to the finals despite numerous handicaps.

Unlike the well-paid and highly trained Qatari team, the Iraqis are resource-poor, without personal trainers and fancy equipment. A large proportion of the players come from Sadr City, the vast and impoverished Shiite slum. Some of Iraq’s best players and coaches have been targeted for death and kidnapping. Newspapers reported that players practicing and training in Doha continually called their relatives back home during the tournament, worried that some calamity had befallen a brother or parent.

Iraq’s team includes Shiites, Sunnis, Kurds, even a Christian, and some commentators have breezily hailed the team as a force for unifying a country. But the reality is that Iraq’s sectarian strife is creeping into sports. Some Sunnis grumbled beforehand that there were too many Shiites on the team. They whispered disdain for what they called the “Iranian team,” questioning the patriotism of the Shiite players.

Hossein, the teahouse owner, posted a guard outside his crowded cafe to prevent suicide bombers wearing explosives-packed belts from entering. “I won’t allow any cars to park in front, either,” he said.

Still, this being Baghdad, everyone in the cafe had guns.

As the game approached, Iraqi leaders asked soccer fans to keep their weapons holstered if Iraq won. Save the rounds for the real war, one cleric suggested.

“I urge the people not to shoot in celebration of the victory of the Iraqi team,” prayer leader Sheik Abdul Hadi Mohammedawi told worshippers in Sadr City hours before the game began. “It squanders ammunition, which must target the chests of the criminal killers.”

Throughout Friday’s game, the Iraqis played sloppily. They were over-anxious and jumpy and failed to capitalize on their opponents’ mistakes. They missed passes, and clearly showed the need to sharpen their teamwork.

But for the 90 minutes the game lasted, Iraqis back home otherwise embroiled in a bloody civil war were relatively united.

Ultimately Iraq lost 1-0 to Qatar and will be awarded the silver medal. “You are heroes, O lions of Mesopotamia,” the television announcer declared as the game ended. “Silver is not a small thing. Second is a beautiful position. At Miss World, there is always big sympathy for the first runner-up.”