Official: Citing security, victorious soccer team to return to Baghdad Friday without star players

Above: A young Iraqi celebrates at Sunday's Asian Cup Final victory against Saudi Arabia.

Iraq's Asian Cup soccer champs will return home for celebrations but without three team stars, a Sports Ministry official said on Thursday...

He said team captain Younis Mahmoud would not return, nor would Nashat Akram and Hawar Mulla Mohammed.

Mahmoud, who scored the winning goal in Iraq's 1-0 Asian Cup final win over Saudi Arabia, had said he feared for his life if he returned to Iraq to celebrate the stunning victory.

Qassim said there would be a welcome-home celebration in a Baghdad hotel in the heavily fortified Green Zone, home to the U.S. Embassy and the Iraqi government headquarters.

Read the rest at the International Herald Tribune

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