PHOTOS: Players, fans return to football stadium in Raqqa once used as IS prison
A match between two local clubs took place this week in Raqqa, Syria, at a stadium previously used as a prison by the Islamic State.
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – A match between two local clubs took place on Monday in Raqqa, Syria, at a stadium once used as a prison by the Islamic State (IS).
Al-Rashid, a club from Raqqa, took on Al-Sad, from nearby Tabqa. Both of the areas were recaptured from IS by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) last year.
When the extremist group emerged in Syria in mid-2014, they overran large swaths of territory and imposed their strict laws on its people.
The tournament was organized by the Raqqa Civil Council, a local committee affiliated to the SDF. The Council is responsible for running the city’s affairs and bringing life back to normal for its people.
“We’ve made the stadium a place for sports again,” Nashwa Ramadan, co-chair of the RCC’s sport and youth committee, told AFP. She said the “fear” left when IS did and revealed that there are plans for women’s sports.
Bullet holes are still visible in the stands of the stadium and casings are scattered near the pitch, but the vibrant football atmosphere is back. A few dozen fans gathered to watch the match, cheering on their respective sides.
One of the players on Al-Rashid, Aziz al-Sajer, was himself imprisoned by IS at the stadium for over a month. He recalled memories of being interrogated by the extremists after he had defected from the Syrian army.
“This prison behind me is now in the past. It’s all over, and now we can rest,” AFP quoted him as saying.
“They banned sports logos on clothes, like Real Madrid or Barcelona,” he added. “You could get imprisoned for that.”
