{"id":1127,"date":"2017-10-11T22:52:56","date_gmt":"2017-10-12T02:52:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/salonsyria.com\/?p=1127"},"modified":"2017-12-24T13:03:40","modified_gmt":"2017-12-24T18:03:40","slug":"how-can-i-support-this-team-divided-loyalties-for-syrians-haunted-by-civil-war","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.salonsyria.com\/en\/how-can-i-support-this-team-divided-loyalties-for-syrians-haunted-by-civil-war\/","title":{"rendered":"‘How can I support this team?’ Divided loyalties for Syrians haunted by civil war"},"content":{"rendered":"

“Like the country itself, feelings about Syria\u2019s national football team, who play Australia tonight, are complex.<\/p>\n

When the Syrian national football team walks onto the pitch in Sydney tonight , Obay Al-Akul won\u2019t be inside the stadium cheering but outside protesting.<\/p>\n

He won\u2019t be alone. A Syrian national who grew up in Damascus before arriving in Australia in 2014, Al-Akul is\u00a0one of the 5.1 million people who have fled Syria\u2019s civil war as refugees<\/a>.<\/p>\n

For many, the national side\u2019s unlikely progression to the playoffs for 2018 World Cup qualification is less a fairytale and more a continuation of the nightmare that has seen more than 400,000 people killed since the Syrian uprising began in 2011.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow can I support this team when so many civilians have been killed in\u00a0Syria<\/a>,\u201d Al-Akul said on Tuesday. \u201cHow can I when too many athletes have been arrested and some of them killed by the regime because they supported the Syrian revolution.\u201d<\/p>\n