[Mo1]

Iraq's footballers once lived in fear of Uday Hussein, the son of toppled dictator Saddam Hussein, who used to beat the soles of their feet or throw them in prison for slip-ups on the pitch.

How soon some forget .. That or this guy complaining is new to the team

[swilhelm73]

How soon some forget .. That or this guy complaining is new to the team

An interesting point...it is hardly impossible that those being quoted are former Baathists or relatives of Baathists and new to the team. The press has pulled this trick before...

[Darlin']

Found a bio and photo of this ingrate. Interestingly, he is from Najaf, home of the fat boy, al-Sadr. Apparently, one or two others on the team have expressed similar sentiments. One even said if he were not on the team he would be fighting as an insurgent..... of course, that is easy to say from the comfort of Athens and without the fear of torture looming large in your future. The rising star on the team is Younis Mahmoud Khalaf and so far he has kept his opinions to himself.

Link for team bios and photos: Iraq Soccer Team

Salih Sadir Salih DOB: 21.8.82 Club: Zamalek, Egypt (2004 - ) Caps: 4/0 Previous Club(s): Al-Najaf (1998-2003), Talaba (2003-2004) Info: The talented player from the southern city of Najaf, is one of Iraq’s most gifted individuals, who excelled playing for the Olympic team in the qualifying rounds – his performances compensated for the absence of Nashat Akram in Iraq’s midfield. Before the war, he was named one of the two best players in the 2003-2004 season by an Iraqi FA panel and became a regular in Stange’s Olympic squad making his debut in the 2-1 defeat to Qatar in the former Oman and Perth Glory coach’s first game in charge of Iraq. Salih Sadir was one of Bernd Stange’s favourite players when the German first arrived in Iraq. He scored an important goal in the 1-1 draw with Vietnam in Hanoi that helped Iraq to progress to the second round. He started his playing career with Sha’abiya team Nasour Al-Jumhuriya before joining Al-Najaf where he progressed through the youth ranks under coach Zuhair Khadim. In 1999, he was promoted into the first team by Najih Hemoud and became a regular. Under coach Hemoud, Al-Najaf became one of Iraq’s most entertaining teams with Salih Sadir – and captain Falah Hassan, Abbas Wahoudi, Saeed Muhsin, Ali Hashim and Qasim Jalout. In 2003 after the war, he moved to Talaba where he made several outstanding performances in the Arab Champions’ League – which earned him a move to Egyptian giants Zamalek for next season.

[ClancyJ]

It could be that they are afraid to mention any praise of Americans - especially if some are from the home of Sadr. Their culture has been to submit to the dictators and terrorists - possibly they are still just saying what they think is safest.