That’s a serious fan

Baghdad is in the news often and it’s usually something to do with violence. I know that’s sad to say but honestly, even thinking hard to come up with something about Baghdad that isn’t connected to violence is practically impossible for me to do.

It should be no surprise to me then that while reading my morning news, I came across another story of violence from Baghdad. The only thing different is it involves soccer and not war.

Two local teams were involved in a heated soccer match. According to the story, Iraqis love soccer and hope that it will reconcile the war between ethnic groups and sects in their country.

A player was at the goal, about to make a shot that would tie the game, when a fan of the opposing team took matters into his own hands in the most drastic way I can think of. He shot him.

Yes, he shot him to keep him from making the goal and tying the score. The player died as a result of the gunshot. The fan was arrested. Can you believe that? I was in total shock. No lie.

I’ve been to some sports events that got out of hand. Fans get crazy. That’s actually a part of the game I enjoy, everyone getting worked up and loud. It gives you a feeling deep inside… a little nervous, a little excited, a little crazy… but NEVER life threatening. At least not in my experiences. I can’t believe that someone would kill a person over a game. I’m still shocked.