BAGHDAD / Aswat al-Iraq: Thousands of sportsmen and officials saw off former Iraqi national soccer coach Ammo Baba on Friday before burying him near al-Shaab international stadium in Baghdad.
Iraqi Vice President Adel Abdulmahdi and a number of sports officials took part in the funeral near the football school, supervised by Ammo Baba.
Aswat al-Iraq news agency correspondent said that the ceremony was attended also by several lawmakers, members of the Iraqi Olympic Committee, defense ministry’s officials and Iraqi players and coaches.
The Iraqi football community is in mourning with the news that the former national team player and coach, Ammo Baba, passed away on Wednesday evening (May 27) at the age of 74 after complications with his health. The legendary figure had been suffering from diabetes for many years and was earlier this year diagnosed with prostate cancer after he fell ill at the Gulf Cup in Muscat.His health took a turn for the worst on Wednesday and he subsequently died.Emmanuel Baba Dawud was born on November 27, 1934, on the RAF base in Hinaidi, Baghdad, where his father was employed by the British.His family moved to the city of Habbaniya in 1937 and it was there that the young Ammo first encountered the game of football, watching British soldiers playing matches on the dusty fields of the RAF base. As there were no balls to kick around at home, he would stuff pieces of fabric into a sock to substitute as a ball.
Ammo became Iraq’s most successful national coach, winning the Gulf Cup on three occasions in 1979, 1984 and 1988, the 1988 Arab Cup and leading team to the 1984 and 1988 Olympic Games.
Ammo Baba was one of the greatest Iraqi footballers, if not the greatest Iraqi sportsmen, of all time. It is only when you combine the careers of Bobby Charlton and Alf Ramsey into one that you can grasp the magnitude of what Ammo Baba achieved for his country.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment