Tens of thousands of Baghdad soccer fans cheered on their club in the top league’s final game on Sunday, the largest sports crowd the city has seen since the US-led invasion in 2003.
The Baghdad club, al-Zawraa, lost 0-1 in injury time to a team from Irbil in northern Iraq. But the game was not marred by crowd violence or a terrorist attack, a sign that security forces are asserting more control in the capital.
In the past five years of war and sectarian killings, large gatherings would have been considered too dangerous — tempting targets for suicide bombers and other attackers.
PHOTO: AFP
However, the government helped ensure a large turnout on Sunday, apparently to show that security is improving in the city of 6 million people. The Transportation Ministry said it provided free buses to the Shaab stadium in eastern Baghdad, the city’s largest with a capacity of 50,000 spectators.
Senior government and security officials attended, including the spokesman of the Cabinet.
Spectators were searched at the entrance to the stadium, sniffer dogs patrolled the grounds and several dozen helmeted riot police with shields lined the field.
A few dozen Irbil fans, dressed in their team’s yellow jerseys, stood out in the huge crowd. Some bottles flew in their direction, but they did not react and there were no reports of injuries.
Al-Zawraa supporters taunted the team from Irbil, capital of the self-governing Kurdish region known for its fine dairy products, with choice rhymes.
“You know how to make yogurt, but you don’t know anything about soccer,” the crowd chanted.
After Irbil scored in injury time, its fans left the stadium before the end of the game. The Irbil players danced in a circle on the field to celebrate the victory.
A shared passion for soccer occasionally bridges the deep ethnic and religious divisions in post-war Iraq. The whole nation cheered last yeat when Iraq’s national team won the prestigious Asian Cup for the first time, beating continental powerhouse Saudi Arabia in the final 1-0.
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