Posted on 08/20/2004 1:59:55 PM PDT by konijn
Iraqi footballers' fury at Bush
Sadir said he wanted the US to withdraw its troops from Iraq Iraq's successful Olympic football team has launched an outspoken attack on US President George W Bush. Midfielder Salih Sadir said the team - which won its group stage in Greece - was angry it had been used in Mr Bush's re-election campaign ads.
One accused the US leader of committing "many crimes", and another said he would be fighting US troops if not for Athens.
Their comments were made in a US Sports Illustrated magazine interview.
Salih Sadir said he was angry at Mr Bush's campaign adverts showing pictures of the Afghan and Iraqi flags with the words: "At this Olympics there will be two more free nations - and two fewer terrorist regimes".
What is freedom when I go to the stadium and there are shootings on the road?
Coach Adnan Hamad "Iraq as a team does not want Mr Bush to use us for the presidential campaign," said the Iraqi player.
"He can find another way to advertise himself."
He called for US troops to be withdrawn from Iraq. "We don't wish for the presence of the Americans in our country. We want them to go away."
Another star player, 22-year-old Ahmed Manajid, asked: "How will [Mr Bush] meet his god having slaughtered so many men and women? He has committed so many crimes."
'Best people'
Mr Manajid, from Falluja - a hotbed of armed opposition to the US-led occupation in Iraq - said if he was not playing football "for sure" he would be fighting as part of the resistance.
"I want to defend my home. If a stranger invades America and the people resist, does that mean they are terrorists?" he asked.
"Everyone [in Falluja] has been labelled a terrorist. These are all lies. Falluja people are some of the best people in Iraq."
Iraq's Olympic pride The team said they were glad Iraq's former Olympic committee head Uday Hussein - Saddam Hussein's notorious son killed by US forces after the invasion - was no longer in charge.
But coach Adnan Hamad said he was concerned with what the Bush administration was doing in Iraq.
"My problems are not with the American people. They are with what America has done in Iraq: destroy everything," he said.
"The American army has killed so many people in Iraq. What is freedom when I go to the stadium and there are shootings on the road?"
Mr Bush's spokesman defended the war on Iraq and the campaign adverts.
"The ad simply talks about President Bush's optimism and how democracy has triumphed over terror," he was quoted by the Press Association as saying.
"Twenty-five million people in Iraq are free as a result of the actions of the coalition."
We'll leave as soon as you, or we, step up and kill Al-Sadr.
We should throw the ungrateful pig in the first shredder we can find.
screw the ungrates! Too bad they can't get a visit from Uday when they lose.
Maybe Uday was right....
you're not reading between the lines here - the ad doesn't state what the Iraqis were told. Their reaction, still, is unacceptable, but they were baited by the SI writers.
Ingrates is right. Perhaps they've gotten so used to being beaten with a hose for losing that they don't know what to expect for winning.
Or maybe the miss the beatings?..you never know.
This amazes me. When Uday Hussein was in charge, the soccer team was routinely tortured when they lost.
A late friend of my family, and former Tanaiste (Vice President) of Ireland, Brendan Corish once said, and I think it's appropriate here: 'Never do anyone a favour, because they'll never forgive you for it'.
Thanks to President Bush and several hundred thousand American soldiers, he now lives in a country where he has to freedom to express such ungrateful crap without fear of retribution.
Bush is showing ads in Greece?
Or did Al Jezz hire a Sports writer from SI?
Hopfully these people, and their young, will get away from the indoctrination of the ME terrorists.
If the world-wide leftist reporters will allow it, after all, they use Muslims, Arabs, and Islamic cults, to fight their proxy war against Israel, the right, and American power.
947 of our best young men and women dead and thousands maimed for life all for THIS! A bunch of lousy ingrates who couldn't care less what kind of government they get. So much for the "cakes and flowers".
Perhaps this lowlife would prefer going back to the days when the soccer team was tortured (by Uday) after poor performances?
I see two players quoted, plus the coach. The normal soccer team fields, I think, eleven people. What do the other nine guys think?
Also, these players are in a very high profile position right now. It's dangerous to speak out in Iraq - family members are kidnapped, tortured, beheaded, bombed, shot. The police chief of Najaf saw his own father kidnapped in an attempt to intimidate him. These players are like witnesses at a Mafia trial. "I never saw Mr. Gotti do nuthin' wrong." I'd take everything they say with a giant helping of salt.
People usually get the government they deserve, and it's become increasingly evident that the Iraqi people richly deserved Saddam and the Ba'athists.
Stop rationalizing on their behalf -- they had no obligation to speak in public with their virulence against this country, its soldiers, and taxpayers who foot the enormous bill for this misadventure; our soldiers died for this rotten scum.
This sounds like the BBC put it's "secret sauce" on this one.
DK
No...THIS was on a side benefit. 947 of our best died to protect US from Saddam's terrorist capabilities.
I am far more pissed at the John Kerrys of the world than this piss ant of an Iraqi.
Hey no problem there Pele. We'll just give you back Saddam and you can go back to being tossed off the roof of the fieldhouse when you lose.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.