ERBIL, Kurdistan Region -- Members of Kurdish Parliament and officials from the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) have decided to face each other in a friendly football match.
According to Kawa Mahmoud, minister of culture in the KRG, the match will be played in the near future, probably October.
The idea of the match is said to have come from Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani.
Sherdil Tahsin, a sports committee member in Kurdish Parliament, said that neither of the teams have started training or purchased the necessary equipment for the match yet.
"The MPs have not officially made preparations for this match,” Tashin said. “But a few of our players have started training and preparing themselves."
Tahsin told Rudaw that PM Barzani would be the captain of KRG team and Arsalan Bayiz the captain of parliament’s team.
"They might play for a few minutes and then let other officials take part as well," said Tahsin.
Agriculture minister Mahmoud said the KRG teammates are ready for the game. "All the ministers will play, including Asos Najib, the female minister of social work who will become our coach."
"We have to talk with the prime minister and decide whether the match will take place in the big stadium or in a small indoors stadium with teams of six players," said Tahsin.
Mahmoud added, "We have decided to allocate the revenue from this friendly game for either a charity or relatives of the martyrs.”
The entire KRG team consists of officials from the two ruling parties, while parliament’s team is made up of members from the opposition blocs as well as the ruling parties.
"So far, 20 MPs from different blocs have showed their readiness to play in this match," said Tahsin.
Adnan Osman, an MP from the Change Movement (Gorran), appeared to have no knowledge of the match. "I am not aware of this game because I was in Garmiyan. I don't like playing and things like that. If Gorran decides to participate, they are free to do so, but I will not take part in this game," he said.
The Kurdistan Islamic League (Komal) had a different perspective. Sabah Najib Muhammad, a Komal MP, said, “I won’t play, but I will join as a supporter of my team."
Other MPs said they would applaud this match as long as its only purpose was sport.
Thaiir, an MP from the Assyrian bloc in Kurdistan parliament, said, "The idea is good and the match will be entertaining. We will participate if the game is athletic in nature. The game will be much better with the participation of ministers."
http://www.rudaw.net/english/kurds/5208.html