Diwaniyah local football tournament honors the late activist Azeem Sawadi

DIWANIYAH – Shuhada Al-Hurriya from Najaf clinched the title at the “Azeem Sawadi Al-Rubaie” local football tournament after a penalty shootout victory against Ghammas’ Asiyad team.

The event honored Azeem Sawadi Al-Rubaie, an activist and educator who was killed by unknown assailants in 2020. Al-Rubaie was known for his efforts to promote sports among the youth of Ghammas.

The tournament, which featured 40 teams including eight from outside Ghammas, took place at Al-Dajja Stadium and followed a single-elimination format.

The final match ended in a 1-1 draw after regular time.

Amjad Karim, a local resident, said, “This tournament is held in memory of Mr. Azeem Sawadi, who played a significant role in reviving sports in Ghammas. He organized many major tournaments and invited several professional Iraqi athletes and premier league clubs.”

Karim also noted, “The late Azeem had a long-standing contribution to developing sports in Ghammas as well as in educational and literary fields. He was a well-known civil activist across Iraq.”

Bassem Al-Ziyadi, Deputy Chairman of the Ghammas Central Committee, said, “The tournament featured 32 teams from Ghammas and 8 from outside, concluding on Friday evening with the final match between the Asiyad team from Ghammas and the Shuhada Al-Hurriya team from Najaf, in the presence of a large audience.”

Al-Ziyadi added, “This type of organized tournament greatly contributes to developing key players who can serve the national teams well.”

Nabeel Al-Badiri, coach of the Shuhada Al-Hurriya team, expressed his gratitude: “We thank the people of Ghammas and the wonderful audience who added a special flavor to the tournament. The organization, management, and refereeing were excellent.”

Al-Badiri continued, “This was our first time participating in Ghammas. We accepted the invitation and participated, achieving three victories, reaching the final, and winning the title, thanks to God.”