Australia: Iraqi footballers vanish, seek asylum

[Robbien]

Source: Reuters

Three Iraqi footballers secretly left their team hotel in Australia hours after playing a weekend Olympic qualifying match and plan to seek asylum, an Iraqi football official said.

Midfielder Ali Abbas, one of the heroes of Iraq's stunning Asian Cup triumph in July, was among the three who planned to seek asylum in Australia, said Iraqi Football Association Assistant Secretary Tariq Ahmed.

The other two players were identified as Ali Mansur and Ali Khadher. Assistant coach Sadi Toma had also gone missing with the three players, Ahmed said.

"The players secretly took their passports at about 3am Australian time, a few hours before they were due to leave," Ahmed told Reuters in Baghdad.

Toma contacted team officials in Australia later on Sunday and told them the players would seek asylum.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/footballers-go-missing-seek-asylum/2007/11/19/1195321642243.html

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This must be so demoralizing to those Iraqis remaining in Iraq.

[RaleighNCDUer]

1. There are still Iraqis in Iraq?

I thought they'd all fled, and were replaced by the evil Al Queda hordes.

[K8-EEE]

2. But why would they prefer Australia to GWB's liberated Iraq?

They must have been reading to many Murkin-hatin' media reports I guess...they don't know how GREAT it's going there!

[kurth]

3. Why are they running away from FREEDOM?