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