Those who subscribe to the idea that the all-pervasive power of football can convert enmity into harmony and kindred spirit are about to have their theory tested ... again. Today's papers are full of hope that Iraq's triumph in the Asian Cup can help put an end to the daily bloodbath on its streets.
The Guardian's leader piece on the team's victory prompted a number of readers to express their joy.
Writing about Iraq's progress through the earlier rounds before yesterday's 1-0 win over Saudi Arabia, blogger Sunshine says:
"The Iraqi football team and the match bring together all the Iraqis, regardless of our religions or castes, whether they are, Arabs, Turkmen, Kurds, Muslims (Sunnis, Shiites), Christians, etc .. All the Iraqis who live outside or inside Iraq were feeling the same way ... our players played hard to reach the finalist level, they played while their country is agonizing, they won to cheer their wronged people."
Salam Adil summarised the optimism of Sunshine and others during the fortball for the Global Voices Online project. Speaking with Salam, he said that the posts not only showed unity amongst Iraqis but also divisions between Iraqis and other Arabs. He pointed out a post by the blogger, Neurotic Iraqi Wife:
The game on Sunday is crucial. Especially because its against the Saudis. God, I hope and pray we will win, I really do. I wanna bring their noses down for once. I know I shouldnt be judgemental and I know I shouldnt generalize for many of my friends are Lebanese, Jordanians and Palestinians but in general the Arabs did nothing but hurt us. They hate us, they hate us because they dont want to see a beautiful unified flourishing Iraq....
Inside Iraq, Salam said that the divisions were political and not necessarily amongst ordinary Iraqis. But he said: "The political process is so messed up that one football victory won't overcome this."
He pointed to the stalemate over oil production agreements as an example of the dysfunctional political system. Sunni and Kurdish members of the Iraqi parliment have resisted the bill, saying they weren't consulted. The US views the oil production agreement as critical to bringing Iraq's political factions together.
But Salam sees two points of hope in the football victory and the political process. "Maybe this (the football victory) will help people realise not to leave their lives in the hands of politicans." Iraqi bloggers are expressing a sense of almost total political disenfranchisement, and Salam says that people are looking to unions as a new source of political power and a way out of the stalemate in the government. Unions have now replaced the militias as the strongest force in Iraqi politics, he added.
The peace-making power of football?
Las the civil war-torn nation Ivory Coastin Africa, a similar debate was sparked as the civil war-torn Ivory Coast progressed to the final of the African Cup of Nations.
The good news is that Laurent Gbagbo, that country's president, was today visiting the rebel HQ for the first time since hostilities broke out, and a ceasefire has been holding for five months.
As for Iraq, a report published today suggests there's still a long way to go.
What do you think have been football's greatest off-field victories?
