Jeff Severns Guntzel, Electronic Iraq, Oct 2, 2008
The Iraqi national football team is back in Baghdad. According to an Associated Press report,
"Iraq sports adviser Bassam al-Husseini says the government has
promised to not interfere in selecting players for the team." The
team's successes, like its big Asia Cup win last year, have provided something extraordinary for Iraqis: something to cheer about.
A 2007 Washington Post story spoke of the targeting of athletes: "Victims have included the Sunni head of one of Iraq's leading soccer
clubs, an Iraqi international soccer referee, a top player on the Iraqi
Olympic soccer team and a national volleyball player." Iraqi authorities have pointed to the return as an indicator of an improved security situation in Iraq.
