Posted on 08/21/2004 10:42:15 PM PDT by M. Peach
Soccer players say president shouldn't exploit their success Updated: 10:15 p.m. ET Aug. 21, 2004ATHENS, Greece -
Iraqi soccer players reacted angrily Friday after being told that their nation's Olympic participation was mentioned in TV commercial by the re-election campaign for President Bush.
The players called on Bush to stop using them to win votes in the United States. Iraq as a team does not want Mr. Bush to use us for the presidential campaign, midfielder Salih Sadir was quoted as saying. He can find another way to advertise himself.
However, the Iraqi Olympic delegation accused journalists of deliberately provoking an angry response from their players. Our purpose is not to politicize the football team in any way,
Mark Clark, a consultant for the Iraqi Olympic Committee, said. It seems the story was engineered.
The flags of Iraq and Afghanistan appear in the Bush commercial ahead of the Republican National Convention, to be held in September.
A narrator says: At this Olympics there will be two more free nationsand two fewer terrorist regimes.
Another Iraqi player asked: How will (Bush) meet his God having slaughtered so many men and women? He has committed so many crimes.
(Excerpt) Read more at msnbc.msn.com ...
However, the Iraqi Olympic delegation accused journalists of deliberately provoking an angry response from their players. Our purpose is not to politicize the football team in any way, Mark Clark, a consultant for the Iraqi Olympic Committee, said. It seems the story was engineered.
DUDE _ DUDETTE this is OLD news
Ungrateful sons of bitches.
Read the rest of the comments by the atheletes. I don't think they can be misconstrued. I think Mark Clark was trying to make light of the whole situation.
Well, it is easy for them to talk...now. They have Americanized quite quickly in the fashion of exercising freedom of speech against those who help maintain it.
If you read the whole article, it implies that journalists manipulated the players and the story.
It is the first fair report of the incident that I have seen since it was first reported.
"Updated: 10:15 p.m. ET Aug. 21, 2004ATHENS, Greece "
Damn - you must have a pretty fast internet connection...
I did read it, and I find it hard to misconstrue their feelings.
Why is it that you distrust the media in so many other contexts, but take their reporting here at face value?
I had read that the only players they interviewed were from Fallujah. There are also a number of Kurds on this team.
Iraqis are scum.
Give them an "F"!
Give them a "U"!
I hear what you say. Since Clinton - I feel like I've been living in the Twilight Zone - it all seems so surreal...
READ THIS -- the guys didn't even play!
http://iraqthemodel.blogspot.com/
IRAQ THE MODEL
Saturday, August 21, 2004
Hurray!
Iraqi football team won against Australia 1-0 to reach the semifinal for the first time in Iraq's history. Now we are going to play for a medal! Iraq has one medal only in her Olypic record; a bronze one that we won in weight-lifting back in 1960.
This is the *BEST* acheivment Iraq has ever acheived in soccer. Strange isn't it!? Not to me! I really expected that despite the difficult life in Iraq that our athletes were going to perform better than ever, and I believe it's the effect of freedom.
Right now there is lots of shooting into the air (I don't like it but at least Iraqis are happy and it's better to waste bullets this way).
I know some of our American friends are upset with the Iraqi team because of the latest comments of some players, but this is Iraq, not 1 or 2 players and the player who said these terrible words didn't even play! I wish you could forget that idiot and join us in our celebrations, as the truth must be said, it's a victory that you helped in in so many ways.
- posted by Omar @ 20:57
Comments (410)
It sure as he!! is.
Japanese like the US because we nuked them...
Japanese like the US because we nuked them...
We can't even get rid of a stupid MUlla Sadr
Okay, some of them might be ungrateful sons of bitches but I'll wait until it is verified.
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