Iraqi Team Welcomed With Saddam Anthem
Uhhh can I speak with the DJ please?
The Iraqi soccer team were invited to celebrate their Asia cup victory in Dubai yesterday. They were welcomed by their host Sheikh Rashid al Maktoum who upon their entrance played Iraqs old National Anthem glorifying Saddam and his Ba’ath Party. Apparently no one knew they changed the anthem.
Confetti rained down as the players arrived late Tuesday at the Dubai airport where thousands of cheering fans gathered to welcome the team and celebrate its victory.
But some players and members of the Iraqi delegation walked out in protest when the organizers put on Saddam’s anthem instead of the country’s new one, according to Bassam al-Husseini, a representative of Iraq’s Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, who flew with the team.
Emirates officials apologized for what was apparently a mistake. Najeh Hamoud, from the Iraqi soccer federation, told U.S.-funded Radio Sawa, which broadcasts in Arabic, a technician responsible for the music was unaware there was a new anthem.
You might think the Iraqi team is celebrating in Dubai because Iraq is too violent, its not that. Where else can a soccer team get an endless supply of liquor and Russian prostitutes free of charge?