O*On December 9, Syria was drawn into the 2027 Asian Cup qualifying group with Myanmar, Afghanistan and Pakistan. Officials at the celebration in Kuala Lumpur could have long conversations about how all four football fortunes have been damaged and held back by their own leaders and managers. However, this time there was more to deal with than usual. Hours before, Bashar al-Assad fled from Damascus to MoscowHe had ruled a dictatorship for more than 50 years. As in other fields, there is a sense of doubt in football but also in the hope that it will be better before the times and the sport, perhaps, will help unite a nation that has done so much.
The civil war, which began in 2011, has resulted in the estimated deaths of more than 500,000 people and the displacement of many more. During that time, football still played a role but reflected divisions in the wider society. “As the nation is broken, so is the national team,” says Bernd Stange, Syria’s coach from 2018-19. There were players who led certain groups with weapons in their hands, others who consistently resisted the regime. Unfortunately, as a foreigner, I could not focus solely on football and join the team.”
Now may be the chance. Hours after Assad left, the Syrian Football Association announced on social media that it had changed the logo of the national team to remove the red of Assad and the old ruling Ba’ath party in favor of green movements in favor of independence. The photo was showing smiling players in their new shirts. “Our new national uniform organization,” the federation wrote. “The first historical change that happened in the history of Syrian sports, far from nepotism, favoritism and corruption.”
The players shared the joy. Mediterranean Ammar Ramadan posted on Instagram: “The country of Syria is being liberated. We must resist oppression. As it was said neither. Bashar is a war criminal. He has also gone up and left. Cowardly. My happiness is for the people. My people…”
Stange is still in touch with some of his former players. “I am just as moved as my Syrian friends and I am happy about each phone call to Damascus,” he said. “The country will be moved in a direction where everyone can live freely, peacefully and well. It is a proud country with a great history, and people are tired of the last decades and they deserve peace.”
Three years before Stange took up the Syria job, he was on the opposite bench as Singapore hosted their 2015 World Cup qualifiers. The game made headlines after the Syrian coach at the time, Fajr Ibrahim, and player Osama Omari were turned up wearing t-shirts with pictures of Assad. “We are proud that Mr Bashar is our president,” Ibrahim said. “So proud because here he is fighting all the terror groups in the world; he is also fighting for you. He is the best man in the world.” He added that the dictator was an ardent fan and supporter of the team. This would have been much more the case if Syria had reached the World Cup, but they were eliminated in the games.
Stange says he has not experienced interference from the very top. “I did not meet any civilians in my hour as a coach for the country.” He felt, however, as “interested and too emotional” then the president of the federation “interrupted constantly in my area”. He remembers the president “sitting on the coach bench and insisting that it was almost impossible to control.” I had never experienced anything like that before in my coaching life – it really bothered me.”
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It remains to be seen how the federation does business in this new era, but there is no doubt that there is much work to be done. The domestic game is in a mess because of fighting, damage to stadiums, energy shortages and much more. The money in the league, never plentiful, is gone. “The quality of the leagues is not good enough to achieve something international,” Stange says. “Some training has stagnated for a decade. For the license courses have been impossible until now. However, many are trying to keep football alive with minimal commitment and salary.”
It wasn’t the first time in years that the league was held outside the event. It will be up to the national team to set the tone, starting in March Asian Cup attached The big question was if/when official international games can be played on home soil. It’s about time. “Syria cannot be an army … for 10 years now,” Windsor John, secretary general of the Asian Federation, said after the decision. “So, we can’t see any matches being held there because it doesn’t have the infrastructure either. Maybe in the future… we don’t know. But in the next year’s match, I don’t feel the change in their status as a team that plays in a neutral venue.
Since, if there is any semblance of stability and normalcy in Syria, Stange is sure that another Asian power could rise. “Syria can match Iran, Iraq or Australia”. “Winning a game in front of a hellish crowd in Aleppo or Latakia could be a mission impossible for any Asian team.”