A story of good news: Competitive international football returns to Iraq after nearly 30 year ban
KARBALA, Iraq – Competitive international football has returned to Iraq on Tuesday after a 30 year ban.
The game was between Lebanon’s Al-Ahed and Iraq’s Al-Zawraa in the central Iraqi city of Karbala, roughly 100 km (62 miles) southwest of Baghdad.
The match comes less than a month after FIFA lifted the ban on Iraq hosting competitive international soccer matches on March 17.
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The ban was originally put in place in 1990 due to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, and remained intact ever since over security fears.