What if Assyrians had their own Soccer Team?
By: Ashur Sada. July. 1, 2008
Having followed the entire Euro Cup 2008, I can't help but feel some envy when
seeing other nations' flags being waved and flown all over the place. Even in
North America, thousands of miles away from the action, people are very
passionate about their teams and the players that represent their nations. Can't
really say the same for Assyrians, doesn't matter what the competition is; Euro
Cup, Asia Cup, World Cup, Copa America etc. Assyrians don't have a team to begin
with, so no tournament will give them any consolation. Of course, for those
living in countries that have teams representing them in these tournaments, they
may feel allegiance to their host country's team. An Assyrian living in
Australia, would support the Australian team. An Assyrian living in Holland,
would support the Dutch team, and so on. Obviously, there are those who have
lived in Iraq for most of their lives, and they feel a natural inclination and
duty to support the Iraqi national team, a team they have grown up watching and
following. However, and talking to a lot of Assyrians, you just sense that
something is missing. The loyalty is just not very genuine or sincere. Only an
Assyrian team would get their absolute loyalty and fulfill their nationalistic
desires.
No Country? No Problem!
Assyriska is our only true
international professional team, and it is no wonder that it has the following
of hundreds of thousands of Assyrians worldwide. But that is just a club, and
not a national team. A national team can only be had if a country named Assyria
exists; which it doesn't. So, do we wait till the day we have our own country,
before we can have a team to cheer for? not necessarily. I believe it is time
Assyrians put their own team together, even if they are not an independent
nation, and remain a part of Iraq. Just look at the Kurds, they have had their
own team, that is separate from the national Iraqi team, for a few years now.
This team represents the region of Kurdistan in various competitions, albeit not
official ones. One such tournament is the
VIVA World Cup.
VIVA Assyria at VIVA World Cup!
From July 7 to Jul 13, 5 teams will compete in the the second VIVA World Cup in
Sweden, with the winner receiving the Nelson Mandela Trophy. What is interesting
and significant about the participating teams, is that they are mostly from
non-independent groups and nations, including Kurdistan. Wouldn't this be the
perfect place for Assyrians to start with their own team? An Assyrian team from
Iraq can easily be assembled and sent to this tournament, with the help of
sponsors and other groups from abroad. The mere thought of an Assyrian team
playing, with hundreds of fans cheering and waving our flags, is enough to send
chills down our spines. Now imagine the real thing, with our team meeting their
Kurdistan counterpart in the final game and beating them. What a great source of
pride would that be? Soccer after all has united nations and people in the past, and brought
peace to many, so it is only natural that it does the same for us as people.
Many logistical and organizational obstacles will have to be ironed out before
such a team can be assembled. Who would be the coach? would it be one of our
Assyrian legends like Ammo Baba, Douglas Aziz, Ayoub Odisho, Sadi Toma? or would
it be a young local coach? who would sponsor the team? where would the players
be selected from? would they be from Northern Iraq where the majority of
Assyrians live? or would it be a selection from Assyrians living in Iraq, Syria,
Iran, Lebanon etc. To tackle such obstacles, it is important to start from a
select team of local players, and expand it later. This could be a big success
in the future, and organize their own international tours to cities where
Assyrians reside.
The Symbolism and Magic of Soccer
Assyrians shouldn't wait for a state before they
can have their own team. FIFA may not accept
us as an official member, and that is expected of course. But who cares? we are
not aspiring for such big demands and recognition for now. It is all in the
symbolism for now. Soccer has an amazing power, and an Assyrian team would only
help our cause and make us more known to the world. Viva Assyria!
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