Football glory unites Iraq episode artwork

EPISODE · Aug 8, 2019 · 9 MIN

Football glory unites Iraq

from Sporting Witness · host BBC World Service

In 2007, the Iraqi football team sparked wild celebrations throughout the country after winning the Asian Cup in a tense final against Saudi Arabia in Jakarta. The Iraqi players were semi-professionals who were forced to prepare the tournament in Jordan because of a security crisis at home that was claiming tens of thousands of lives every year. Their shock semi-final victory over South Korea was marred by a suicide-bomb attack on celebrating supporters in Baghdad which kills dozens. Steve Hankey talks to Iraqi defender, Haider Hassan, and football journalist, Rafeq Alokaby. The programme is a Whistledown Production.PHOTO: Iraqi captain, Younis Mohmoud, celebrates (AFP/Getty Images)

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Aug 8, 2019

Embed this episode

NOW PLAYING

Football glory unites Iraq

0:00 9:03

No transcript for this episode yet

We transcribe on demand. Request one and we'll notify you when it's ready — usually under 10 minutes.

No similar episodes found.

No similar podcasts found.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is this episode of Sporting Witness?

This episode is 9 minutes long.

When was this Sporting Witness episode published?

This episode was published on August 8, 2019.

Can I download this Sporting Witness episode?

Yes. Use the download control on the episode player to save the publisher-provided media file.
URL copied to clipboard!