Outside of Spain, few places in the world can
boast more fervent support of Barcelona and
Real Madrid than Iraq.
In Iraqi Kurdistan, some 3,5000 miles from the
action, locals are obsessed with La Liga's two
biggest teams. When they face each other in El
Clasico, bars and coffee houses are segregated
between rivals fans and police presence is
increased as people celebrate, commiserate and
fight long into the night.
According to a report in Baghdad newspaper Al
Zaman, carried by Spanish newspaper Sport,
passion between rival fans spilled over into
violence and murder this week.
On Monday, a Barcelona supporter in Madain —
a city a few miles south of Baghdad —
supposedly argued with a Real Madrid-
supporting friend in a gaming arcade. The Barca
fan then reportedly "slaughtered" his friend with
a knife, in full view of several witnesses.
Arabs Today add the chilling detail that the
Madrid fan was actually beheaded by his former
friend. An Iraqi Interior Ministry source told
them:
"A fight broke out on Monday night at the Games
Hall in Aldjaarh, between two friends, one of
whom supported Barcelona and the other who
supported Real Madrid."
The source added that events took a dramatic
turn when the Barcelona fan took out a knife and
stabbed his friend several times, before
"beheading him in public."
"Witnesses at the Hall captured the offender and
called the police, who rushed to the scene and
took him to a security centre for interrogation.
The dead body was taken to the forensic medical
department for a post-mortem."
According to Al Zaman, this isn't the first trouble
between Iraqi Barcelona and Madrid fans. Last
April (presumably on the day of Los Blancos' 2-1
victory at the Nou Camp) a violent knife fight
between rivals fans broke out at a coffee shop in
Karbala, with several people injured.