Young, deaf man killed over friendly football match in Baghdad

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A young deaf man was beaten to death after a friendly football match in Baghdad’s Sadr City after scoring an offside goal. 

Sajjad Amin, 19, was beaten to death after scoring a goal in a football match that the opposing players argued was an offside goal. Amin was a football enthusiast and the youngest child in his family.

"There was a small problem over an offside goal and then they fought,” Sheikh Naji Delfi, a local and witness, told Rudaw on Tuesday.

“Players from the other side used a screwdriver and many other things against him. They hit him in his body and face, and unfortunately, such cases have increased in the community,” he added. 

“After the game, they went outside and brought a screwdriver and beat four people,” Ibrahim Mohammed Delfi, Amin’s uncle, said, adding that the three other people are in a stable condition. 

According to the relatives of Amin, the fight initially broke out between two players, then the argument between them escalated after the game and a fight broke out, killing Amin and injuring three others. Police have arrested three people and two of them have fled the scene.