Truthdig - Ear to the Ground - Iraqi Soccer Champ Fears for His Life

			November 30, 2009 Log in / Register
			Text Size

Goodman on Goodman

Addicted to Nonsense
By Chris Hedges

Fighting Extremism With Civility
By E.J. Dionne

India May Hold the Whip Hand in Dubai Power Game
By Robert Fisk

Larry’s List: Cyber Monday Edition

Don’t Look to D.C. to Help Job Crisis

Lab-Grown Pig Even Vegetarians Can Eat

The Charge of the Light Brigade

Catch Up on the News With Larry’s List: Thanksgiving Weekend Edition

Spam ‘Godfather’ Sentenced

What White House? Huckabee Digs Fox News

‘Left, Right & Center’: America the Ungovernable?

U.N. Combats Violence Against Women, With Help From Men

Palin Still Gets Huckabee’s Vote (Against Obama)

Do the ‘Brad Pitt Houses’ Help New Orleans?

‘Call of Duty’ Game Franchise Busts Sales Records

Fred Branfman on ‘The Making of an Elder Culture’
By Fred Branfman

Swiss Court Accepts Polanski’s $4.5M Bail Request

Financial Meltdown 101

A Dig compiled by the editors of Truthdig

Vetting Sarah Palin

A Dig compiled by the editors of Truthdig

Supercapitalism: The Transformation of Business, Democracy, and Everyday Life

By Robert B. Reich
$16.50

Iraqi Soccer Champ Fears for His Life

AP Phoro / Achmad Ibrahim

Mahmoud, center, fields questions on Saturday before returning to the soccer field Sunday for the Asian Cup finals.

One might expect that Iraqi soccer star Younis Mahmoud, who scored the winning goal for his country in Sunday’s Asian Cup finals game against Saudi Arabia, would have a hero’s welcome waiting for him at home. Instead, Mahmoud plans to steer clear of his country for fear of being killed, and he voices the hope that American troops will withdraw as soon as possible.

Evening Standard:

“I don’t want the Iraqi people to be angry with me,” he said. “But, if I go back with the team, anybody could kill me or try to hurt me.

“One of my closest friends, they (the authorities) came to arrest him and for one year neither me nor his family knew where he was.

“I want America to go out,” he said. “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.”

Read more

More Below the Ad

Advertisement

TAGS: asian cup football soccer u.s. troops withdrawal younis mahmoud

Related Entries

November 15, 2009 War in Afghanistan: Not in Our Name
October 16, 2009 A Down-and-Out Route for Rush
September 27, 2009 Michael Vick’s Long, Strange Detour
September 20, 2009 Iran’s Soccer Censorship
September 14, 2009 NFL Players Give Away Their Brains

Email to a friend

Get truth delivered to
your inbox every week.

Previous item: Iraqi Soccer Champ Fears for His Life

Next item: Iraqi Soccer Champ Fears for His Life

Elsewhere: .

Comments

Are you a Truthdig member yet? Login now, or register with Truthdig.

By Hanan, July 31, 2007 at 9:18 am #
(Unregistered commenter)

younis is right…he dosnt want to go back to Iraq so he wont be killed, hes doing that for his safty and for his contreys safty…i luv u younis you know whats right so do it!! GOD BLESS IRAQ!!!!!!!

Report this

By farmertx, July 30, 2007 at 4:50 pm #

Whether that quote was heartfelt or a bid for a chance at safety is to be considered.
What is given, is that the lack of a rational plan for the aftermath of his ego war, the Shrub has generated a climate of hate, fear and sudden death in Iraq.
That the team has to go to Jordan to practice in safety says a lot. Can’t blame any team member for being concerned about their safety.

Report this