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Saddam's anthem spoils party
01/08/2007 23:01 - (SA)
Dubai - A celebration thrown by the ruler of Dubai for the Iraqi soccer team after its Asia Cup win was marred when the Saddam Hussein era national anthem was played, angering many players and prompting some to walk away.
Confetti rained down as the players arrived on Tuesday evening at the Dubai airport where thousands of cheering fans gathered to welcome the team and celebrate its victory.
But some players and members of the Iraqi delegation walked out in protest when the organisers intoned Saddam's anthem instead of the country's new one, according to Bassam al-Hussein, a representative for Iraq's Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, who flew with the team.
An Emirati royal family jet had whisked the Iraqis from the Indonesian capital of Jakarta to Dubai instead of their war-torn country, in a grand gesture by Dubai's leader Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum.
The team protested to Emirates officials about the Saddam anthem and "they later apologised," said Najeh Hamoud.
He added that the mistake was apparently made by a technician who did not know about a new anthem.
After Saddam's overthrow, new Iraqi authorities selected "Mawtini," a folk tune popular throughout the Arab world, to replace the old anthem which glorified Saddam's Baath party.
Iraq's leaders have publicly congratulated the team and awarded each player $10 000 for the victory.
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