Defeat an All-Too-Familiar Reality for Iraqis

More than 1,000 Iraqi fans filled Kaftantzoglio Stadium, wearing turbans and backward baseball caps, drumming and chanting, the inspired exiles of a war-torn nation a familiar sight at these Games.

But after a questionable call late in Iraq's 3-1 loss to Paraguay in the semifinals, some of those fans threw beer bottles toward the field, screamed and gestured at security volunteers, then bumped and shoved their way toward the exits.

"It's been a bad time," said Sabah Leon, a fan sitting above the fray.

Not only for the fans but for the Iraqi coach, Adnan Hamad Majeed, another Olympic darling, the man who fashioned a competitive soccer team in a country whose best soccer stadium has been wrecked and whose beloved soccer league has been dismantled.

During the news conference afterward, he was supposed to talk only about soccer, but couldn't help himself.

He said, without being asked, "We love everybody

Previously, he had taken shots mostly at President Bush, whom the Iraqis have accused of using their team's success as part of his reelection campaign.

But this seemed to be a shot at an entire nation, whose tax money helped rebuild the team after the death of its torturing leader, Uday Hussein.

A story that was supposed to be devoid of ugliness and politics, then, has ended with both.

Talk about the shrinking life span of an Olympic fairy tale.

This was going to be one of the best, remember?

Back in May, the soccer team earned its first Olympic spot in 16 years, setting off celebrations throughout the country.

Playing all road games, playing with no feeder system, the Iraqis then showed up in Greece before the opening ceremony and defeated powerful Portugal in their first game.

Fans rushed the field. Journalists waxed poetic. The team whose players once had their feet beaten for failing to score goals was playing with liberating freedom. You go, Iraq! God Bless America!

But then, it turns out, some of them don't really like America.

In an SI.com story last week, midfielder Ahmed Manajid said if he weren't playing soccer, he would be home fighting against U.S. troops.