Amidst all the weekend’s sporting action, it went largely unreported in Australia that 16 Real Madrid fans were brutally murdered at a supporters club on Friday.
It’s a sad reality that violence is simply what we expect when we read stories from Iraq – all the more so when ISIS are involved.
But what happened in the Al Furat cafe, some 125 kilometres north of Baghdad, is too tragic to simply brush aside as another incident in a war-torn country.
The cafe is the headquarters of a local Real Madrid supporters club, and some 50 people had come together to drink coffee and watch replays of old matches, when this peaceful gathering of sports fans was ripped apart by ISIS.
Spanish paper AS spoke to the club’s President, Ziad Subhan, who explained what happened:
“A group of Islamic terrorists, from ISIS, came into the café, armed with AK-47s, shooting at random at everyone who was inside.”
It’s been reported six gunmen opened fire and threw grenades in the cafe, brutally slaughtering 16 people and injuring 20 others.
Photos in The Mirror show the bullet-riddled cafe after the attack, with a devastating amount of blood on the floor. They’re extremely confronting images.
Four of the six gunmen were followed to a nearby farm, where they used bombs to commit suicide as the authorities closed in on them.
What was perhaps most devastating was what Subhan said the motivation for the attack had been:
“They don’t like football, they think it’s anti-Muslim. They just carry out attacks like this. This is a terrible tragedy.”
It’s not news that ISIS are a death cult, using any excuse to kill innocent people. But now they’re murdering people for watching football?
Not only that, they are prepared to kill themselves for the purpose of stopping others from watching 22 men kick a ball on a field?
Real Madrid released a statement on the incident, saying, “Football and sport shall always be spaces in which to come together and in which harmony and peace reign and with which no form of barbaric terrorism will be able to compete.
“Today Madridismo across the whole world cries for its supporters, who shall never be forgotten.”
Madrid’s players wore black armbands in solidarity with the people of Iraq during Saturday’s match. It was a touching gesture, reminding us that the sporting community is a global one, and that vicious attacks in Iraq are felt across the world in Spain – and, indeed, here in Australia.
Like the supporters club, The Roar is a community bonded in sport. We may not always agree with one another, and things can sometimes get pretty heated in the comments section, but an incident like this really puts into perspective how petty our disagreements can be – and what a privilege it is that we can have them, safe in the knowledge our lives are not under threat for being passionate about sport.
MickyC
Guest
My comment, which has subsequently been removed, was in it's entirety "Religion writ large. One religion in particular". That's it. 100% of it It's still readable as a quote on Albatrosses comment somewhere. How that is anything other than innocuous is beyond me. The story is about a religiously motivated terrorist organisation killing people for watching a game on TV. I'm hardly drawing a long-bow by linking a story about religiously motivated mass murder to, ah, religion. So far you've challenged Avictory after another innocuous, one line comment and your "You'll live" comment to me is either threatening or could be construed that way. Even if my comment "annoys" some people I don't see how that warrants it's removal. The more I read from you the more your very existence on this forum annoys me but you're still here. As for someone labelling people as war criminals, can't say I wrote or have seen that comment.
SVB
Guest
Why don't we all just came out and state what we hate politically, religiously, gender wise, sexual orientation wise etc. We can all come out and express ourselves. That will end well.
Kaks
Roar Guru
I hate seeing news like this getting hijacked by people who take any opportunity to push their political agenda's. R.I.P to the people who tragically lost their life. It is always sad to hear of news like this, and even worse that they were attacked for following something they loved.
Brian
Guest
From memory the word war criminal was used to label a former PM. That's going a bit beyond an opinion. That label put that former PM in the company of mass murderers like Hitler, Stalin & Pol Pot. Hardly "innocuos". Take those words out of it and I agree with you.
Ian
Guest
LOL, your comment amongst others was what annoyed some other readers - I read their reactions. Then all the comments disappeared. Of course you think what you wrote was 'pretty innocuous' ........that makes you feel better about your views and the 'PC brigade are going to get you'...etc. etc........but obviously to some others it was not 'pretty innocuous'. You'll live.
Ian
Guest
An article of this nature was always going to have comments left by those pushing their own agenda rather than just addressing ISIS murdering people watching football. So fair call on having the entire article removed.
Brian
Guest
The previous views were politically motivated and unrelated to sport or facts.
MickyC
Guest
No it would seem not. Not sure if you got to see "the misguided and ill-informed comments" but by and large they seemed pretty innocuous. Seems we need to tip toe around the sensibilities of some people. When being "misguided and ill-informed" (in the opinion of some) became cause to remove comments I do not recall.
Midfielder
Guest
Nice post Ben
mattq
Roar Rookie
it's BS. If the Roar didn't want people to comment their views they shouldn't have put this article up. I think it would be best they remove it altogether, rather than the comments.
Ian
Guest
Does it sound like I'm kidding champ? Please let rip with your full and frank views on the matter about this story and previous comments that were here.........if you have the balls......via the internet.
Avictory
Guest
Please tell me you're kidding.
Ian
Guest
Good to see the misguided and ill-informed comments got cleaned up.
albatross
Roar Pro
>>Religion writ large. One religion in particular. Clearly you have never heard of for example the Omagh Bomb Outrage or the Dublin Bombings of 1974? They and many others were all perpetrated by people who professed to be Christians of one sort or another. "Who among us..." etc.
SVB
Guest
I understand Ben, but it ends up becoming too too political. Especially when various looney's start posting away their innermost feelings.
Mark
Guest
If you think carnage in the Middle East didn't exist before the Iraq War in the 2000's, you sir are an i...t
Ben of Phnom Penh
Roar Guru
Not at all; it is just that since a group of fellow football fans have died for doing what we enjoy that we feel a surge of empathy as opposed to ignoring the situation as per usual. The incident provides pause to consider our own good fortune, something that we don't do often enough.
mattq
Roar Rookie
spot on fuss
nordster
Guest
Yes please remember me for the future, count me out of the global caliphate...cheers! :)
mattq
Roar Rookie
why? Are you denying ISIS' actions are not in the name of Mohammed/Allah?