Qazillians break Iraq hearts

From the Guardian (the article is also available in our excellent del.icio.us feed):

Iraq's World Cup ambitions were finally broken on a foreign field. As Qatar's multi-national squad formed a human pyramid of celebrating bodies and their coach prayed on the touchline, the champions of Asia slumped to their knees and cried into the turf at Dubai's Al Rashid stadium, their home for the past 10 months of qualifying. Just one year after stunning the world, and their homeland, by beating Saudi Arabia 1-0 in the Asian Cup final, Iraq's dream was over and with it the chance of perhaps ever seeing the country grace a World Cup finals again.

Still remember the good times.

Iraq 1 Australia 0

Anyone who has paid even the slightest attention to this blog will know that we have one or two biases. Favourite teams who get disproportionate attention. There are also a few we don't like. So when one beats the other, well...

Iraq are back and better than ever. Bring on World Cup 2010. Meanwhile Australia seem to be missing Fiji and the Solomon Islands.

Successful on the pitch, successful in politics

From the Guardian:

Iraq Sunni bloc replaces lawmaker with soccer star

BAGHDAD, Oct 4 (Reuters) - Iraq's parliament agreed on Thursday to let the main Sunni Arab bloc replace a lawmaker-turned-insurgent with one of the country's most famous soccer stars.

Deputies voted to let striker Ahmed Radhi, the only Iraqi player to have scored in World Cup finals, replace Abid-Nasir al Janabi, who announced in June he was leaving the political process to take up arms in Iraq's insurgency.

Radhi, 43, netted in Iraq's 2-1 defeat by Belgium while his team were a man down in the 1986 tournament in Mexico.

Soccer players are held in high regard amongst Iraqis after repeated successes despite hardships at home. Iraq won its first continental cup this summer, sparking unprecedented scenes of joy and celebration on Iraq's streets.

Radhi played a large role in campaigning for the Sunni bloc in December 2005 elections but failed to win a seat.

... some politicians use euphemisms for what they plan to do next- spend time with the family, start a philanthropic organisation, cream millions off-of half-arsed ghost-written recollections describing why they were right about everything. Not Abid-Nasir al Janabi. Oh no.

A Tribute

Yeah Habibi!

History as written by the victors

Iraqi captain Younis Mahmoud post-victory: "I want America to go out .....Today, tomorrow, or the day after tomorrow, but out. I wish the American people didn't invade Iraq and, hopefully, it will be over soon."

He also noted he would not be attending the victory celebrations in Iraq - "I don't want the Iraqi people to be angry with me ...If I go back with the team, anybody could kill me or try to hurt me."

We still look forward to the party, and possible positive political repercussions.

Meanwhile the Guardian has some great pictures. Whilst crooks and liars has a bit of useful footage.

Iraq take Asian cup

The trophy is being held aloft as I type. Congratulations Iraq. Humble Football salutes you. Iraq 1 Saudi 0. Younis header. Poor quality football. Fireworks above the stadium.

Tasteless, crass and inept...

...just like us. Humble Football celebrates Iraq's triumph with full pomp and circumstance. Never mind that our choice of garb is somewhat circumspect, or that Mustafa's shining bald head glows eerily (does he have designs on Iraqi Kurdistan?).

Celebrate, celebrate, run for cover

It was the best of times in the worst of times yesterday in Iraq when the national team squeezed into the final of the Asian Cup. Revellers hit the streets, drawing on the frenzied joy of the television commentary (see below post) to jump up and down, cry, wave their hands in the air, and do other things otherwise not permitted in the public boarding school known as Iraq. Celebrations were sadly marred by two suicide car bombings in Baghdad that killed at least 50 people.

Penalty highlights

Iraq are to play Saudia Arabia in the Asian cup final. Grudge match anyone? How many Saudi trained and financed fighters are there in Iraq at the mo anyway? On a lighter note - here are highlights from yesterdays penalty shoot out. The commentator could certainly teach Martin Tyler a thing or two. Head to the end of the clip if you can't stand the tension - the climax of the commentary is outstanding.

Iraq make Asian Cup final!

Thoroughly exciting 0-0 draw. Many Iraqi players booked for 'unsporting conduct'. A knackered South Korea will make the short trip home after Iraq won a penalty shoot-out 4-3. The possibility of the Asian Cup taking pride of place in a Baghdad museum before being immediately looted looms large. Iraq, Iraq, Iraq! Clips of 'highlights' to follow as soon as I can find them.

Vietnam vs Iraq

Vietnam


Iraq.

Asian cup this Saturday. Can't help thinking the teams share something in common.

Iraq thrash Australia, US considers withdrawal

In a stunning riposte to their involvement in the second gulf war, Iraq have humiliated Australia by dealing to their football team. Iraq’s 3-1 victory was of course predicted by Jack, Reginald and other Humble Football types.

The victory is also understood to be one of the benchmarks set by US President George W. Bush to show progress in Iraq. Bush who had previously canceled plans to watch the Iraqi team at the 2004 Athens Olympics, was delighted with the victory, stating these were ‘encouraging signs’ of progress that could lead to a ‘more normalized and sustainable level of U.S. engagement in Iraq’, and that current manager, Brazilian Jorvan Viera was definitely ‘the right guy for Iraq’.

Former manager Uday Hussain could not be reached for comment, though he is understood to have threatened to shoot goalkeeper Noor Sabri for conceding a goal.

More transfer madness

Asian cup qualifiers at Iraq national stadium.

Newcastle might be about to sign Deco. With a massive rush to sign young, often untested midfield prodigies, this could be a seriously good bit of business by Sam.

Roy Keane is keen on Iraq (aren't we all). The agent of Iraqi striker Nashat Akram has held talks with Sunderland. The imminent possibilty of Keane leading a Irish-Scottish-Iraqi-Jamaican guerrilla army in a sustained battle with Manchester and London based hegemons is enough to make even the most hardened security nut wet.

Meanwhile over on that fabled source of biblically contradictory information, football-rumours.com, important news has come to light. Kazakh midfielder Borat Sagiev is on his way to a premiership club.

It has begun

Asian cup 2007, Iraq - Thailand, one all draw, large amounts of rain. Iraq, Iraq, Iraq, Iraq.

The Mesopotamian Cup

So according to the Beeb yesterday, nearly half of the Iraqi asylum seekers knocking on the EU's door hope to wind up in Sweden. We're not exactly sure what they're playing at, but when a Baghdadi stares at this or modish pseudo-socialist furniture, I suppose the choice is clear.

The Beeb says many of the new batch of refugees (some 10,000 a year) are from the Shia centre and south of Iraq--and not members of the longstanding Assyrian community, who have transformed the Swedish town of Södertälje into a Scandinavian Nineveh since their arrival in the 1970s. Their club, Assyriska Föreningen, is the veritable Chaldean national team (its owner, Sargon DeBasso, is named like the great-grandfather of the great Ashurbanipal, builder of libraries, vanquisher of his foes, and last scribe of Gilgamesh, Lord of the House of Dust), but unfortunately also happens to be Sweden's version of Crystal Palace. One can only hope that the new Iraqis integrate into Europe the proper way: by forming Babylonska FC and reigning terror on the cities of their enemies.

Recommended Reading

The weekend trawl through the sports sections of too many papers and magazines produced this absolute beaut from James Montague at the New Statesman on the West Asia football championships:

Every Iraqi player in the squad has been touched by death or bad luck. Two days before the start of the tournament, the team's physio was killed in a car bombing in Baghdad. He was on the way to pick up his ticket to Amman. "I probably have the hardest job in the world as I have to deal with these boys with many problems," rues Jorvan Vieira, the Brazilian coach, before Iraq's 3-0 semi-final win against Syria. "We need to give the Iraqi people a good mirror. The division between Shia, Sunni or Kurd doesn't exist."

So, who's coming with me next year? Also who's excited by Iraq's prospects at the larger Asian tournament beginning in Bangkok this week?