Several days have passed – the quarterfinals are already being played – and Iraq’s elimination against Jordan (2-3) in the round of 16 of the Asia Cup is still looming. A match that will be forever marked by the surreal expulsion of Aymen Hussein (Hawija, 1996).
The still top scorer of the Cup -scored six goals in four games- saw the second yellow and, therefore, the red in the 77th minuteafter scoring the goal, which, at that moment, put ‘Los Leones de Mesopotamia’ ahead (2-1). The referee, the Iranian Alireza Faghani, understoodthat had been exceeded -in terms of time spent- In the celebration.
The truth is that nobody understood anything. “Jordan’s first goal takes one minute and twenty-five seconds and They show us that yellow when it’s been a minute and ten seconds and it’s already back.. In a tournament like this, “To expel a player it has to be something serious… and even more so when you have two yardsticks to measure”,Spaniard Jesús Casas lamented on Radio MARCA, who was almost attacked by a handful of journalists at a press conference after the elimination of Iraq.
A group of Iraqi journalists try to attack Jesús Casas after the elimination of Iraq
His father was murdered and his brother was kidnapped.
What happened in Jordan, unfortunately, is nothing compared to what Hussein has gone through in his life. The current Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya attacker grew up in an ISIS-controlled district that, between 2014 and 2017, was the target of bombings by the ‘International Coalition against the Islamic State’ that the US led in Iraq and Syria. Attacks on oil pipelines and car bomb detonations by Saddam Hussein’s supporters became a habit in their daily lives.
But there is much more and, unfortunately, much worse. His father, an Iraqi army officer, was killed by Al Qaeda during an attack on Baghdad in 2008. The drama continued: his brother, a local police officer, was kidnapped and, according to his bio on Wikipedia, “His whereabouts are still unknown.” “No one really knows the story of what exactly happened to him. “It’s not my family’s first story and it probably won’t be the last,” he resignedly acknowledged ‘AP’.
It’s not my family’s first story and it probably won’t be the last.
Aymen Hussein
Aymen Hussein’s family, who scored the goal that qualified Iraq for the Rio Olympics in 2016had to flee to Kirkuk in 2014. They became refugees. Meanwhile, the top scorer of the Asia Cup continued pursuing his dream. “If I quit football, I wouldn’t change anything. I wouldn’t get back any of the things I’ve lost. What’s more, I thank God for my situation. In my house I have walls. “Many of the displaced Iraqis live in tents.”
If I quit football, I wouldn’t change anything. I wouldn’t get back any of the things I’ve lost
Aymen Hussein
Aymen Hussein’s successes – he has 23 goals in 72 caps – are those of Iraq. It’s a shame he had to pay such a high toll.
2024-02-02 12:31:37
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