2 Football Related Shooting Fatalaties in Iraq

[Dirk Diggler]

Absolutely ridiculous.

First one:

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/st...=world&cc=5901

BAGHDAD -- Police say an Iraqi soccer player has been shot dead just as he was about to kick what could have been the tying goal in a weekend game south of Baghdad.

Police Maj. Muthanna Khalid says a striker from the Buhairat amateur team was facing only the goalie during a Sunday match in Hillah when a supporter of the rival Sinjar club shot him in the head in the final minute of play.
Sinjar was leading 1-0 when the shooting occurred. Khalid said a spectator was arrested.
More Iraqis are turning out for sports events now that security is improving. Major matches in Baghdad are heavily guarded but security in amateur games in smaller cities is often lax.

Second one:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/17/wo...er=rss&emc=rss

BAGHDAD — Victory celebrations at a soccer match in Iraq ended abruptly when a fan accidentally shot the victorious goalie to death, the police in Babil Province said Monday.
Two teams representing the Shiite villages of Sinjar and Enana, near Hillah, south of Baghdad, played a close-fought match on Saturday, with Sinjar winning 2-1. During victory celebrations, an off-duty policeman started firing his service pistol in the air but lost control of it, the police said. A bullet struck the Sinjar goalie, an 18-year-old high school senior named Mohammed Amin, in the head, killing him instantly. There was no indication of foul play; the policeman was himself a Sinjar fan.
The officer, Jawad Kadham, 28, was charged with recklessly discharging an official weapon and with negligent homicide, and is still in custody. The family of the goalie was demanding so-called blood money from the policeman, the police said

[jrey]

how do you lose control of a pistol THAT much? as a trained police officer?

i can't believe this stuff. it's crazy.

[Don Julio]

Did he go down like he was shot?

Did they at least get a penalty out of it?

(not really funny, but you have to get the obvious jokes out of the way)

[mr k]

wow, the guy must have been some marksman in the first shooting - but then they have had years of practice recently

[eustacchio]

What happens in a situation like that? The supporter shoots a player on the opposing team to prevent a tying goal...I know it was the last minute of play, but wouldn't there be some sort of know contest when a player is murdered?

[RealG-TFC]

*sigh*

They were probably better off with Saddam.

[Gobi]

During victory celebrations, an off-duty policeman started firing his service pistol in the air

[daner90]

Two teams representing the Shiite villages of Sinjar and Enana, near Hillah, south of Baghdad, played a close-fought match on Saturday..

one team had to sponsored by Red Bull...