Is Football Uniting Iraq And Kuwait Despite Political Differences? | First Sports With Rupha Ramani

something quite historic went down between Iraq and Kuwait a football match seems ordinary but not between two enemy Nations who have been at opposite ends for decades and not when Iraqi fans crossed over to Kuwait for the first time in 34 years Kuwait's Java Stadium witnessed the two countries take each other on in a World Cup Asia qualifier it was a packed house with over 60,000 spectators watching The Showdown the match was a goalless draw but it had its fair share of drama let's face it the event itself was nothing short of dramatic Iraq were down to just 10 men after Ren suaka was handed a red card in the seventh minute of the game itself but despite the setback Iraq fought hard and held on till the very end and the match finished without much separating the two sides but it wasn't the score line that made for a compelling story though that was equally arresting the Monumental match was not lost on everyone invested and all present because these two sides have hardly played each other despite being neighbors thanks to the political tensions between the two countries ever since the Saddam Hussein invasion in 1990 the first match in fact between the two Nations took place way back in 1964 the two have only managed to play each other 37 times since then the last time they faced off was in 2022 in a friendly which Iraq won 1 nil in Basra in Iraq Kuwait last hosted a match between the two in 2018 which ended in a two- all draw and before that in 2011 so these fixtures come after very long intervals making one of it each and every one of it in fact a Marky event for its fans in cricketing terms it's like India versus Pakistan two Nations separated by one border with IM sporting history and very intense rivalry and what made this Clash iconic is that Iraqi fans were allowed to travel to Kuwait for the first time in 34 years ever since 1990 no Iraqi fan has crossed over to Kuwait and this time to in those 60 plus thousand Spectators only 5,000 Iraqi supporters were present these 5,000 were allowed in special vehicle permits and with specific papers but we aren't going to get into those numbers and those details because the moment was beyond all [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] that for Iraqis who have long suffered Pol political unrest this gesture by their neighbor Kuwait was a milestone one I can't describe how I feel I haven't seen Kuwait in more than 30 years Kuwait is close to us there were Wars and problems but God willing the situation will get better and bitter a match between Brothers God willing and I hope that the legacy of the previous regime dies with this conscious generation because the world has become a small village and all people have come to know that the Iraqi people are not to blame for what happened because of Saddam Hussein because fans today want to get over the horrors of 1990 2003 and want football action to resume now it may seem like a massive gesture in the larger scheme of things a step forward to try and mend the ties between the two countries but isn't that easy something one football match alone cannot resolve tension continues to be rif two years ago it was an Iraqi Court calling Maritime borders with between the two Nations unconstitutional and not too long ago it was Iraq's Football Association president Adnan djal calling Kuwait a province echoing saddam's sentiments although he later apologized that remark had already left a dent which is why Iraq fans crossing over to Kuwait is indeed an event that could pave way for bigger things to follow and materialize between these two Nations so given the importance of the match there was a massive turnout at the stadium because it wasn't just a a friendly game with Iraq it was a World Cup qualifier a chance to be at the World Cup and contesting for it were two arch Rivals that was the good part now we get to The Not So Nice Part the attention this generated of course was immense which led to quite a chaotic evening now the capacity of jabir stadium is just about 60,000 but the number present were far more which meant many fans managed to enter the stadium without a ticket even coming to the gates of the stadium 5 hours before the start of play it led to overcrowding fans climbing over fences to enter the stadium and many ending up watching the match standing absolute Mayhem the crowd was such that fans with tickets were forced to park their cars miles away before entering the stadium and even inside the stadium water wasn't provided despite temperatures soaring to over 40° so even though this moment was celebrated Kuwait got a lot of flack for mismanagement the Youth affairs minister Abdul rman Al has called for an investigation they've also decided to suspend the Kuwait Football Association Secretary General Salah Isa and the director of public relations till these investigations conclude because this was just a one-off match a World Cup qualifier and a failure of this kind puts a question mark on managing any future commitments because Kuwait is set to host the Gulf Cup in a few months time which is an eight team tournament between Gulf Nations so clearly they need some order in place to avoid such embarrassments to happen there for now though they can be happy about the first steps being taken for improving relations between the two Nations and sport has always played a key role in bringing countries and Waring bodies together and this was a show of that giving sporting fans across the two countries more hope for