Fans are ready to drive thousands of kilometers for the sake of their favorite clubs, break their voices and literally fight for the emblem. Less desperate ones are limited to tattoos in honor of a team or a football player. However, sometimes love pushes to terrible deeds. Sports tells how excessive feelings can lead to tragedy.
The incident took place in a match between semi-professional teams in Iraq in 2009. In the city of Hilla, local clubs «Bukhaitar» and «Sinjar» met. The derby gathered full stands of a small stadium.
Sinjar won 1:0 by the 90th minute. The team did not have any overwhelming advantage — the match was equal and very tense. At the last minute, «Buhaytar» striker Haider Kadym received a pass from his partner, left his rivals and ran out one on one with the goalkeeper. Forward only needed to break past the goalkeeper to save the meeting. The fan did not allow to strike.
One of the Sinjar fans at that moment took out a gun, pointed it at Kadym and fired. The striker immediately fell to the lawn. The bullet hit right in the head.
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"Just as Kadim was in front of the goalkeeper and was about to shoot, a fan in the crowd fired a shot from the pistol he had brought with him. The killer failed to escape. He was arrested almost immediately. It was not possible to save the victim,” said a senior local police officer.
The verdict on the killer was not publicly reported. However, it is unlikely that he could get off with a few years behind bars. Unfortunately, such cases are not uncommon in Iraq. Football and death in the country seem to be connected with each other. Two years ago, a match between local teams ended in tragedy in Maysan province. After a hard joint on the field, a mass brawl began. One of the victims of the brawl ran into the locker room, returned with a pistol and shot the offender.Tragedies accompanied even joyful football events in the history of the country. In 2007, Iraq unexpectedly won the Asian Cup by defeating Saudi Arabia in the final. The title is still the most significant for the team. However, the trophy is also a symbol of grief.On the day of the final, a curfew was announced in Baghdad and a ban on the movement of cars was introduced. This did not stop the fans after the victory. People poured into the streets en masse. Many took weapons with them and fired into the air. Of course, such a «way of expressing feelings» could not do without sad consequences. That night, five people were killed and 40 others were injured.
There were riots before the decisive meeting. Most of the victims were after the semi-finals. Then South Korea fell in a penalty shootout. 11 people did not survive the celebrations. As a result, the victory was dedicated to the dead Iraqis.
The situation incredibly frightened the players. They were afraid to return to their homeland after a historic victory. The scorer in the final, Younis Mahmoud, openly said that he would not come to Iraq anytime soon. His example was followed by other players of the national team.
Threats to the safety of football players have happened before. And not only from the fans, but also from the authorities. Former national team player Yasser Abdul Latif said that he once missed a penalty in an important match. When the team returned to the country, he was sent to prison for three weeks, where he was kept in solitary confinement. a target for terrorist attacks. For example, in 2016, more than 30 people died due to a bomb explosion in the stands during a game in El Iskandaria. clubs. There they can perform without fear of a terrorist attack or a shootout.