Life and death in Iraq were literally Saddam Hussein's football. Saddam's eldest son, Udai Hussein, led the Iraqi team from 1984 to the early 2000s, gaining international recognition under his guidance. Unfortunately, during Uday Hussein, the torture and cruelty of football players reached an unprecedented level of grief.
The players were beaten and beaten for days. They lived in fear that Uday would be overthrown if the entire Iraqi football team were defeated. Former Iraqi footballers came forward to talk about what happened to them and what they had to do after playing for Iraq. Uday Hussein's crime exploited vulnerable players and created a shocking dissonance between the admiration they had on the scene and the cruelty they suffered behind the scenes.
5. Players That Underperformed Had The Soles Of Their Feet Beaten :
One of the most common ways Udai injures his players was by hitting the soles of their players. It is reported that the Iraqi national team ordered to hit the entire team with a stick after losing in the World Cup qualifying match. Uday wrote how many eyelashes each player would have on the personal "card" he was with. The players tried to avoid being spotted by Udai because they aimed repeatedly as soon as they noticed. Udai often put an entire group of players in prison and hit them with sticks.
4. During Halftime, Uday Would Phone The Locker Room And Threaten Players :
Former Iraqi players pointed out that Udai didn't know football or showed much interest in sports, but he took a closer look at the game. When I learned that the player was not playing well, he called the locker room during the break and threatened to "broke the player's leg and feed the dog.
If that wasn't enough, players had to watch the video before every match Uday threatens them. Players were often so scared during the game that they not played successfully.
3. Jailed Players Were Forced To Kick Around A Concrete Ball :
There were penalties such as assault and imprisonment, as well as kicking a concrete football in the breathtaking heat. Athletes also had to endure "12-hour push-ups, sprints and other training in heavy military uniforms and high heels." If the player actually missed a few shots, he had to be in front of Uday with his hands tied aside, and the president's son hit him several times.
To avoid mistakes, players often refused to hit the ball, especially in free throws. Players stopped hitting the ball knowing that only the person who touched it could be penalized. Abbas Rahim Zaire was one of three players on the team to try penalty kicks. Once when he failed he went to jail for 3 weeks.
2. Players Joked That They Had Three Homes—The Field, Their Actual Houses, And Uday's Prison :
Iraqi players are accustomed to practicing Uday and usually spend their time in prison. Former player Ahmed Radi said, "I would have joked that we had three houses: our home, the stadium and the prison."
Radi, who later oversaw the Iraqi team, said it was strange that he was constantly hovering over the threat of torture, although he was respected by the stadium and fans. If Udai wasn't happy, players were put in jail for days or weeks.
1. A Lost Match Could Result In A Sewage Bath :
Former Iraqi footballer Shah Lar Haydar recalls the incident when the team fell on the sidewalk with two other players after losing a match against Jordan. Regarding the torture, Haydar said: “[Uday folks] took off our shirts, tied our legs, and we lay on our backs and pulled our knees over the bar. Then they pulled us along the sidewalk and concrete and removed the skin from the back. ... [and] he pulled us through the sandbox so that the sand hit us. Finally, they made us go up the stairs and dive into the mother of untreated wastewater. They wanted to infect our wounds. "
The torture did not end there, and Haydar was imprisoned and whipped every day. Uday wanted to set an example for his athletes and despise the power of his treatment of celebrities. Imagine what would happen to the master if he made a sports hero such cruelty.