BAGHDAD (AFP) - Several thousand rowdy soccer fans turned up at Al-Shaab stadium in Baghdad Saturday as premier league football got into full swing in the capital more than 18 months after mortars brought it to a halt.Beating drums, waving flags, whistling and chanting, around 3,000 supporters ignored the presence of heavily armed troops and police to noisily cheer on Police College and Baghdad's most popular team, Al-Zawra, as they battled it out on a threadbare pitch.
Adults and children, many of them dressed in the green shirts of the Iraqi national team, arrived at the stadium by bus, on foot, in taxis and by car for the second match of the season, which proceeded without incident. The stadium was protected by Iraqi tanks and armoured vehicles and patrolled periodically by the US military Humvees, while traders set up small stalls at the entrance selling soft drinks, cakes and sunflower seeds.
Saturday's turnout contrasted with the debut match of the season a week ago, when only a few hundred fronted up to watch Electricity and Air Force play the first football in Baghdad since early last year when mortar attacks forced soccer authorities to move the game out of the capital.
Those enjoying this week's match were confident that crowds would swell by the week as Baghdadis grew more confident that it is safe to venture back to the stadium in the capital's central Zayuna district. "Soon we will see large crowds again. Iraqis love football. Fans will return," said Khalid Mahmud, 25, who runs a sports shop in central Baghdad. "We feel quite safe now, but we need the stadium to be renovated," he added, pointing to the filthy plastic seats in the main stand, many of them broken.
He said had not felt safe to attend any matches in Baghdad since the US-led invasion in 2003. "This is the first time I have come here to watch football since 2003," Mahmud said. "It is great to be back and the atmosphere is as exciting as I remember it."
Policeman Mohammed Rasheed, 38, sitting with his three young children, said he had travelled from neighbouring Diyala province for the match. "I never miss a match in Baghdad," he said. "Last year I was unhappy because there were no games. I will not miss any this year," he added happily, as his team Al-Zawra fought back from a first-half deficit to snatch a 1-1 draw against Police College.
Ten-year-old Sajad, sporting a green shirt emblazoned with the name of Iraqi national team captain Yunis Mahmoud, said he and his friends planned to attend all premier league matches at the stadium this year. "We are glad football is back. We were all excited when Iraq won the Asian Cup (in July) and now we can see some good soccer in Baghdad again."
"This crowd comprises Sunni and Shiites and the players are from all over Iraq," said Jaafar Abdul Hussein, one of those crowded onto the main stand at Al-Shaab stadium Saturday. "Football, if nothing else, still unites Iraqis," said Hussein, a former premier league player.