Why? Because the Iraqi soccer team today won the Asia Cup for the first time in its history. A feat was achieved by players in this war torn, terror racked nation which Saddam Hussein and his evil sons failed to achieve in all Saddam's years of dictatorship. He even appointed Uday Hussein as manager of the national team to instil terror as a motivator for victory, so prestigious did Saddam regard national sporting success, but it didn't bear fruit.
Now this young team which has had to play most of its games outside the country and has found difficulty getting players together to train has pulled off a seemingly impossible feat.
The team is composed of Sunnis, Shias and Kurds and all through the competition thay have shown a togetherness and a team spirit which, if only it could be translated to the whole nation, would end the headaches of the occupying US and British forces overnight.
But maybe the security measures employed in Baghdad to protect the cheering fans indicate another truth. Insurgents killed 35 people celebrating after Wednesdays semi final success and similar, if not worse, violence is feared now that the final has been won. It would seem that the last thing these zealots of Al Queda want is a united happy Iraq and they will do anything to disrupt any such possibility.
I don't think they have much to worry about. The nation is at one for a short space of time, celebrating a major sporting success for the nation...but such celebrations are short and transient. Tomorrow or the next day, the blood letting will resume and the brief, wonderful moment of harmony when a nation torn apart by strife came together on the football field will be a distant memory.
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