Photo By Master Sgt. Jerry Saslav | Lt. Col. Muhemed Salah Hadi, commander of the 3rd Battalion,3rd Brigade , national...... read more read more
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By Sgt. Jerry Saslav
3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division
BAGHDAD – The old Adhamiyah and Shaab Sons of Iraq gathered at a place that has seen many battles. On this day, they met on the field, Oct. 12, 2008, to do battle with Iraqi national police and soldiers from the Iraqi army.
Leaders on both sides worked out their tactics – and neither would give quarter. Medics stood by to treat expected causalities as a small crowd of curious civilians, mostly young boys, gathered to watch.
Iraqi's take their soccer very seriously.
"There's a lot of smack talk going back and forth," said Lt Col. Michael Pappal, commander of 1st Combined Arms Battalion, 68th Armor Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division.
Pappal's Multi-National Division – Baghdad Soldiers assisted the Iraqi army with security while the teams met on the field.
While there was a high amount of good natured banter between the teams and bragging rights were on the line, the two games played at the Kashefah stadium in the Adhamiyah District of Baghdad served to build teamwork and unity thru friendly competition. The first game featured the Iraqi National Police's 3rd Battalion, 3rd Brigade, of the Sha'ab neighborhood of Adhamiyah, against the SoI, also from Sha'ab.
Members of both teams serve side by side on checkpoints in Sha'ab, Pappal said. Their trust and camaraderie was evident by the way team members from both sides stood up for each other. When one player took a hard hit, players from both sides helped him off the field.
"Everywhere they are brothers, even in the stadium. It's just a sport; this is the way the sport behaves," said Lt. Col. Muhemed Salah Hadi, commander of the Iraqi national police's 3rd Bn, 3rd Bde., in Sha'ab.
The SoI, who are largely responsible for the down turn in violence throughout Adhamiyah, showed their prowess on the field by scoring first.
"You can see, especially that in the past three months, the Shaab neighborhood is now quiet enough to play soccer," said Hadi, as the national police's players pressed their attack to counter the SoI's goal with one of their own.
"Today's like a celebration day for the IA, and the national police, and the SOI of Sha'ab, to prove to this world that there is no sectarian violence anymore. All those forces came from the same community. The SoI, the IA, the national police came from [the] Iraqi people," said Ali Fadhl, the headmaster of Al-Kashefah stadium.
Oddly enough, the first game ended in a 2-2 tie but that didn't stop some players from declaring victory nonetheless.
"We were the better team. There were some mistakes, but we did it right," said a player for the Sha'ab SoI.
Next to take the field was the Iraqi Army's 1st Battalion, 42nd Brigade, 11th IA Division, against the SoI from old Adhamiyah in the southern section of the Adhamiyah District.
The Iraqi army commander revealed his secret weapon, a former player for a semi-pro Baghdad soccer team, as his soldiers prepared for their match with the SoI from the Adhamiyah District. However, the SoI team would not be outdone and came armed with its own former semi-pro player.
"This was my idea to [have] the SOI play the IA to prove to the people that we are one community.
This is the message to the terrorists, the militia, that we are one community," said Col. Adal Hussein Ali, commander of the 1st Bn, 42nd Bde, 11th IA Div., and the Adhamiyah SoI.
"They are both my boys," said Adal, whose command now includes the Adhamiyah SoI after a transition ceremony held, Oct. 7, 2008. Adal admitted he couldn't resist his support for one of the teams.
"The IA is better," he said, of the game underway.
In the end however, the SoI prevailed in a hard-fought 2-1 victory.
The participants were all presented medals for their participation, and each team was presented a trophy by members of the Adhamiyah District Counsel and commanders from the IA, NP and SoI.
While there was still bragging to be done, the rivalry, for now, was over, and as the teams departed, an SoI goalie hitched a ride home in a national police truck.
| Date Taken: | 10.20.2008 |
| Date Posted: | 10.20.2008 07:23 |
| Story ID: | 25246 |
| Location: | BAGHDAD, IQ |
| Web Views: | 224 |
| Downloads: | 201 |
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