Play Football Make Peace

With a sharp header by Iraqi player Youmis Mahmoud, a Sunni, from a beautifully placed corner kick by teammate Mulla Mohammaed, the team’s only Kurdish player, the Iraqi soccer team showed the world the power of teamwork, soccer, and sports in overcoming barriers of race, religion, and even politics.

Their 1-0 victory over 3 time champion Saudi Arabia in the Asian Cup Final in Jakarta, Indonesia brought joy and jubilation to an entire nation long divided and destroyed by the ravages of war. Men, women, and children filled the streets waving Iraqi flags, singing songs, and dancing in celebration to honor one of the greatest moments in Iraqi sports history. Many could not hold back tears of joy and excitement as they spoke of what this symbolized for the nation of Iraq.

All across the globe, Iraqis from all corners celebrated the victory of the Iraqi national soccer team as their own victory and that of the entire nation’s in symbolizing the potential, pride, and resolve of the Iraqi people despite the crippling effects of war in their homeland. Just a few days before, 2 car bombs exploded in the streets filled with revelers celebrating Iraq’s win over South Korea, 50 people were killed in the attack.

With so much fighting between Sunni Arabs and the Shiite dominated government, any form of unity and peace in a land torn by division and strife has been a refreshing sight. Dubbed as the “Lions of the Two Rivers” the Iraqi soccer team is a mix of players with Shiite, Sunni, and Kurdish backgrounds, in showing the world that ethnically and religiously divided Iraq can unite as one nation.

Play Soccer Make Peace deeply believes in the power and potential that sport and specifically soccer has in being a catalyst for change. It has the power to bring athletes of different nationalities, religions, and backgrounds together as teammates on the same field working towards a common goal.

This team was able to accomplish on the playing field what has been extremely challenging for governments and politics to do. Nevertheless, playing soccer alone will not end war, eradicate poverty, or end hunger. Yet, it gives hope to the millions watching around the world that in this particular moment, they too can share in the victory of their team. Play Soccer Make Peace stresses that peace must begin with the individual.

In the sport of soccer, athletes have the responsibility to play with respect and fairness against their opponents to keep the integrity of the game. Lessons of teamwork, trust, and fair play gained on the field, helps develop a person of character off of it. This is the message that Play Soccer Make Peace would like to spread through its core guiding principles. Beginning with the individual athlete, peace can spread to the team, to the family, to the community, and ultimately, to society.

The success of the Iraqi soccer team in showing this model of peace to the world will help make this vision a reality.Tosee so much joy and solidarity as a result of one game brings a sense of hope and optimism that our differences can indeed by overcome. Barriers of race, nationality, and even religion are no match to the excitement and fervor of the action displayed on the soccer field.

To an entire nation, never has one goal represented so much, for it has come to symbolize the will of an entire country to unite together in victory. To the world, the game of soccer has shown the possibility that we too can overcome our differences for the sake of a common goal, to be able to live in a world of peace. Play Soccer Make Peace congratulates the Iraqi National Soccer Team in their victory in winning the 2007 Asian Cup.